Cognex (CGNX) 10-K2022 FY Annual report

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Readers can identify these forward-looking statements by our use of the words “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “believes,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “will,” “may,” “shall,” “could,” “should,” and similar words and other statements of a similar sense. Our future results may differ materially from current results and from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Readers should pay particular attention to considerations described in the section captioned “Risk Factors,” appearing in Part I - Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We caution readers not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. We disclaim any obligation to subsequently revise forward-looking statements to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances after the date such statements are made.

Cognex Corporation (“the Company” or “Cognex”) invents and commercializes technologies that address some of the most critical manufacturing and distribution challenges. We are a leading global provider of machine vision products and solutions that improve efficiency and quality in a wide range of businesses across attractive industrial end markets. Our solutions blend physical products and software to capture and analyze visual information, allowing for the automation of manufacturing and distribution tasks for customers worldwide. Machine vision products are used to automate the manufacturing or distribution and tracking of discrete items, such as mobile phones, electric vehicle batteries, and e-commerce packages, by locating, identifying, inspecting, and measuring them. Machine vision is particularly valuable for applications in which human vision is inadequate to meet requirements for size, accuracy, or speed, or in instances where substantial cost savings are obtained through the reduction of labor or improved product quality.

Cognex operates in one segment. We offer a variety of machine vision products that have similar economic characteristics, production processes, sales distribution channels, and types of customers. Cognex sells to customers in nearly all industries in which discrete items are manufactured on an assembly line or moved through a distribution center. Our largest sales are in the automotive, logistics, and consumer electronics industries, which combined represented approximately 69% of our total revenue in 2022. Our two largest customers, one in the logistics industry and one in the consumer electronics industry, each represented approximately 11% of our total revenue in 2022. Cognex was incorporated in Massachusetts in 1981.

Machine vision is used in a variety of industries where technology is widely recognized as an important component of automated production, distribution, and quality assurance. Virtually every manufacturer or distributor can achieve better quality and efficiency by using machine vision. This results in a broad base of customers across a variety of industries, including automotive, logistics, consumer electronics, medical-related, semiconductor, consumer products, food and beverage, and others.

Cognex is one of the leading machine vision companies in the world. Our competitors include other vendors of machine vision systems, controllers, and components; manufacturers of image processing systems, sensors, and components; and system integrators. We also compete with internal engineering departments of current or prospective customers, as well as open-source tools available for free from various companies.

Cognex’s ability to compete depends on our ability to design new products and functionality that meet evolving customer requirements, and then to manufacture and sell those high-quality products in a timely manner. The primary competitive factors affecting the choice of a machine vision system include product functionality and performance, ease of use, vendor reputation, price, and post-sales support. The importance of each of these factors varies depending on the specific needs of the customer.

Our goal is to expand our position as a leading worldwide machine vision provider by growing in our core markets, as well as expanding into new markets and customers with both current and new products and services.

We continue to invest in our core markets, such as automotive, logistics, and consumer electronics where we are a leading provider of vision and ID products for factory automation. Within these markets, we are making significant investments to focus on what we believe to be the fastest-growing applications and use cases. In the logistics market, we are moving beyond barcode reading into more complex applications in e-commerce and omni-channel retail distribution centers, as well as parcel and post warehouses. In automotive, we are developing new solutions for fast growing electric vehicle manufacturers and suppliers.

We reach a broad base of customers through our worldwide direct sales force that sells primarily to large, strategic customers, as well as through our network of distributors and integrators that sell primarily to smaller customers who may be more geographically remote or may require supplemental technical support or integration assistance. Our “Emerging Customer” sales initiative is expanding our sales force to reach customers who may be newer to factory automation and have yet to fully benefit from all that machine vision can offer. These customers are increasingly looking for automation solutions that are easy to implement, easy to use, and provide the best technology. We expect our Emerging Customer strategy to broaden our reach, increase penetration, and further diversify our customer base.

We invest heavily in research and development to maintain our position as a technology leader in machine vision. We invest in technology that addresses the most challenging vision applications, such as our deep learning vision software that solves complex applications with unpredictable defects and deviations. We also invest in technology that makes vision easier to use and more affordable, and therefore, available to a broader base of customers, such as our vision sensor products that enable customers with a lower budget to use machine vision while minimizing installation and applications support.

We plan to drive inorganic growth through expansion in adjacent market segments. We are focusing specifically on segments in which our products and solutions, application expertise, and customer and industry relationships should enable us to provide significant value to end-users.

We seek out selective opportunities in new applications and markets through the acquisition of businesses and technologies that are synergistic with our core markets. We are selective in choosing businesses and technologies that we believe will enhance long-term growth and profitability, as well as fit within our corporate culture. We plan to continue to seek acquisition opportunities to expand our product lines, customer base, distribution network, and technical talent.

We are careful in choosing growth opportunities that we believe will maintain our gross margin percentages, which have averaged in the mid-70 percent range in the past several years and reflect the value our customers place on our innovative products. Our relatively high gross margins have the potential to provide us with strong incremental profit margins, leading to high operating leverage in our financial model.

Our strong and unique corporate culture reinforces our values of customer first and innovation, and enables us to attract and retain smart, enthusiastic, and creative talent who are motivated to solve the most challenging vision tasks both quickly and painlessly for customers.

The automotive market has been one of our largest markets for the past 20 years. Machine vision is used in almost every step of vehicle manufacturing, from measuring inbound parts, to guiding robot assembly, to inspecting the stitching on leather seats. We currently expect the proliferation of electronics in automobiles to be a significant growth driver in both electric vehicles and internal combustion engine vehicles. For example, innovations in safety, driver assist, and entertainment features increase the number of items to be placed, tracked, measured, and inspected by machine vision.

We also anticipate a multi-year wave of investment in Electric Vehicle (“EV”) manufacturing equipment, including related to battery manufacturing and inspection. Cognex works closely with the major EV battery manufacturers in Asia that we believe produce more than 90% of the world’s automotive batteries. We believe that these manufacturers are positioned to grow within Asia, and to expand both independently and through partnerships in the Americas and Europe, and we anticipate that our existing relationships and proven offerings will position us to

capture a significant share of this growth. These anticipated trends may offset expected reductions in traditional powertrain investments on internal combustion engine vehicles, leading to growth in the automotive market.

We anticipate major investments in new generations of consumer electronics. We expect leading companies in this space to continue to grow based on new technologies that we expect to succeed and build on the smartphone. We believe new devices will be difficult to manufacture on a large scale, and therefore will require more innovative vision products in that process. Cognex has close relationships with the largest and most sophisticated companies in the consumer electronics market, and we expect to be a partner of choice as they bring new technologies to market.

Logistics has been one of our largest growth drivers over the past five years and has become one of our largest end markets. We believe that our e-commerce logistics business is differentiated by the high performance of our bar-code reading and that growth will be driven by retailers investing in online fulfillment. From an automation perspective, the logistics industry is still in its early stages with a large reliance on human labor and a low rate of robotic automation. Beyond barcode reading, we expect vision applications in logistics to grow quickly and become a more substantial business for us. Vision applications include tasks like inspecting packages for damage, object and symbol recognition, and dimensioning. Geographically, our current logistics business is primarily within the U.S., but, over the long term, we expect to realize the highest rates of growth in Europe and Asia, where we believe customers are beginning to catch up with the U.S. in logistics automation technology and are moving away from local incumbent suppliers. In 2022, we saw a slowdown in this end market as the leading e-commerce players took a post-pandemic “time out” to absorb excess capacity, but we currently continue to expect logistics to be our highest growth end market over the mid to long term.

The number of end markets with a need for machine vision applications is expanding. Other end market uses of Cognex machine vision include manufacturers of semiconductors, regulated products reducing counterfeiting, food producers improving food safety, manufacturers using 3D measurement for robotic guidance, and many others.

Cognex offers a full range of machine vision systems and sensors, vision software, and industrial image-based barcode readers designed to meet customer needs at different performance and price points. Our products range from deep learning solutions that solve complex applications with unpredictable defects and deviations, to lower-cost vision sensors that conduct simple presence/absence inspections. Our products have a variety of physical forms, depending on the user's needs. For example, customers can purchase vision software to use with their own camera and processor, or they can purchase a standalone unit that combines camera, processor, and software into a single package.

Vision systems combine smart cameras and software to perform a wide range of tasks including part location, identification, measurement, assembly verification, and robotic guidance. Vision sensors can deliver an easy-to-use, low-cost, reliable solution for simple pass/fail inspections, such as checking the presence and size of parts. In-Sight vision systems and sensors, which include 2D, 3D, deep learning, and edge learning models, meet various price and performance requirements for factory automation customers. Our deep learning-based systems automate and solve complex inline inspections that typically require human judgment for defect detection, optical character recognition (OCR), assembly verification, or classification. Similar to our deep learning-based systems, our edge learning-based systems use pre-trained models, but on simpler applications that prioritize ease of use and have a broader appeal with easier and faster implementation and training.

Vision software offers customers the flexibility of the Cognex vision tools library to use with the cameras, frame grabbers, and peripheral equipment of their choice. Cognex VisionPro® software offers an extensive suite of patented vision tools, including both traditional rule-based tools and deep learning-enabled tools, for advanced programming. Its QuickBuild prototyping environment allows customers to build complete vision applications with the simplicity of a graphical, flowchart-based programming interface.

Cognex industrial image-based barcode readers quickly and reliably read 1D, 2D, label-based, and direct part mark (DPM) codes found in nearly every industry including automotive, consumer products, medical-related, and logistics. The DataMan® product line, which includes fixed-mount and handheld models, as well as barcode verifiers, help organizations optimize performance, increase throughput, and control traceability.

We rely on the technical expertise, creativity, and knowledge of our personnel, and therefore, we utilize patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret protection to maintain our competitive position and protect our proprietary rights in our products and technology. While our intellectual property rights are important to our success, we believe that our business as a whole is not materially dependent on any particular patent, trademark, copyright, or other intellectual property right.

Cognex’s hardware products are manufactured utilizing third-party contractors, whereby the majority of component procurement, system assembly, and initial testing are performed by electronics manufacturing services suppliers. Cognex’s primary contract manufacturer is located in Indonesia. Our contract manufacturers use specified components sourced from vendor lists approved by Cognex and assembly/test processes created and controlled by Cognex. After the completion of initial testing, assembled products from our contract manufacturers are routed to our distribution centers in Cork, Ireland or Southborough, Massachusetts, USA, where trained Cognex personnel load Cognex software onto the products, provide additional assembly and image alignment as needed, and perform quality control procedures. Fully configured finished products for customers in the Americas, with the exception of certain products stocked locally in Mexico, are then shipped from our Southborough, Massachusetts distribution center, while finished products for customers outside of the Americas are shipped from our Cork, Ireland distribution center.

Cognex sells its products through a worldwide direct sales force that primarily focuses on the development of strategic accounts which generate or are expected to generate significant sales volume, as well as through a global network of distribution and integration partners. Our distribution partners provide sales and local support to help Cognex reach the many prospects for our products in factories around the world, and our integration partners are experts in vision and complementary technologies that can provide turnkey solutions for complex automation projects using vision. Through each of these channels, sales engineers call directly on targeted accounts, with the assistance of application engineers, and manage the activities of our distribution and integration partners within their territories in order to provide an advantageous sales model for our products. Towards the end of 2022, we also began to build out our Emerging Customer sales force that primarily focuses on establishing relationships and selling into new accounts which are newer to factory automation and Cognex.

Sales to customers based outside of the United States represented approximately 66% of our total revenue in 2022, with approximately 23% from customers based in Europe, 23% from customers based in Greater China, and 20% from customers based in other regions outside the United States. Sales to customers based in Europe are denominated in Euros and U.S. Dollars, sales to customers based in Greater China are denominated in Renminbi

for sales within Mainland China and U.S. Dollars in other territories, and sales to customers based in other regions are denominated in U.S. Dollars, Japanese Yen, Korean Won, and Mexican Pesos.

Cognex’s service offerings represent less than 10% of our total revenue and include maintenance and support, consulting, and training services. Maintenance and support programs can include hardware support programs that entitle customers to have products repaired, as well as software support programs that provide customers with application support and software updates to the latest software releases. Application support is provided by technical support personnel located at Cognex regional offices, as well as by field service engineers that provide support at the customer’s production site. We provide consulting services that range from a specific area of functionality to a completely integrated installed application. Training services include a variety of product courses that are available at our offices worldwide, at customer facilities, and online.

Our employees are our most valuable asset and critical to our success. We create and maintain an environment where “Cognoids,” a unique name for our employees, can engage with each other, perform their best work, develop their careers, and be creative. As of December 31, 2022, Cognex employed 2,441 Cognoids globally, including 1,403 in sales, marketing, and service activities; 621 in research, development, and engineering; 191 in manufacturing and quality assurance; and 226 in information technology, finance, and administration. Of our 2,441 Cognoids, 1,495 are based outside of the United States.

We believe in investing in tools and resources that support employees’ learning and development and setting a compensation structure that reflects the Company’s commitment to pay-for-performance philosophy. We believe these efforts align with our stockholders’ long-term interests and better position Cognex to operate as a leader in the machine vision industry.

While we are incredibly proud of our culture, we continue to listen, learn, and grow. We are excited about the opportunities to continue to build an organization that reflects the best of the world around us. As a multi-national company where over half our Cognoids live outside the U.S., diversity means different things to different groups. We are building strategies and plans to continue to enhance our diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) initiatives. One specific place where this evolution is visible is through the launch of our DEIB Council. The Council is led by Cognex’s Vice President of Solutions and is comprised of over 50 volunteer Cognoids representing a broad cross-section of functions, geographies, and backgrounds.

Cognex’s capital expenditures, earnings, and competitive position are not materially affected by compliance with federal, state, and local environmental provisions which have been enacted or adopted to regulate the distribution of materials into the environment.

Cognex maintains a website at www.cognex.com. We make available, free of charge, on our website in the “Company” section under the caption “Investor Information” followed by “Financial Reports” and then “SEC FiIings,” our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K, including exhibits, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as soon as reasonably practicable after such reports are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. Cognex’s reports filed with, or furnished to, the SEC are also available at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Cognex has used, and intends to continue to use, its investor relations website as means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Information contained on our website is not a part of, or incorporated by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K or in any other document or report that Cognex files with the SEC, and any references to Cognex's website are intended to be inactive textual references only.

The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones that we face. Additional risks and uncertainties that we are unaware of, or that we currently deem immaterial, also may become important factors that affect our company in the future. If any of these risks were to occur, our business, financial condition, or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. This section includes or refers to certain forward-looking statements. We refer you to the explanation of the qualifications and limitations on such forward-looking statements, appearing under the heading "Forward-Looking Statements" in Part II - Item 7 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

A significant portion of our products is presently manufactured by a third-party contractor located in Indonesia. The loss of this key supplier, or failure of this contract manufacturer to timely supply products, access necessary credit to operate its business, or otherwise remain in business, could have a material adverse impact on our operating results. Although our primary contract manufacturer has the ability to shift production to plants in other regions when operations in its Indonesia plant are disrupted, production and test equipment located at the Indonesia plant that is unique to the manufacture of Cognex products creates practical challenges to doing so in a timely manner. We have been working to ramp up an additional contract manufacturer to further mitigate risk, diversify supply chain, and expand production capacity. Changes and additions to our supply chain require considerable time and resources and involve significant risks and uncertainties, and we can provide no assurance of return on, or success of, such investments.

On June 7, 2022, our primary contract manufacturer experienced a fire at its plant in Indonesia. The fire destroyed a significant amount of Cognex-owned consigned inventories as well as component inventories owned by the contract manufacturer that were designated for Cognex products, limiting our ability to fulfill certain orders during the second half of the year. We have worked with the contract manufacturer to assess the damage, resume production, maintain standards of product quality, and replenish inventories destroyed by the fire, which included component purchases at higher-than-normal prices. In 2022, the Company recorded a net loss related to the fire of $20,779,000, consisting primarily of losses from inventories and other assets of $48,339,000, offset by insurance recoveries of $27,560,000.

We can provide no assurance that additional insurance coverage and/or recoveries from the contract manufacturer will be available to cover the net loss from the fire. Our assessment of the impact of the fire on our business and our work with the contract manufacturer remains ongoing as of the date of this report and, as a result, we cannot predict the full extent of the impact that the fire may have on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Certain key electronic and mechanical components, such as integrated circuit chips, are fundamental to the design of Cognex products. Due to the impact of global supply chain challenges and other factors, we have experienced, and may continue to experience, disruptions to the supply of components for our products that have resulted, and may continue to result, in higher purchase costs, higher delivery costs, and manufacturing delays.

Cognex sources components from preferred vendors that are selected based on price and performance considerations. In the event of a supply disruption from a preferred vendor, these components typically may be purchased from alternative vendors, which may result in higher purchase costs and manufacturing delays based on the time required to identify and obtain sufficient quantities from an alternative source. Certain of Cognex’s products utilize components that are available from only one source. If we are unable to secure adequate supply from these sources, we may have to redesign our products, which may lead to higher costs, delays in manufacturing, and possible loss of sales.

Although we are taking certain actions to mitigate supply risk and have entered into agreements, including in broker markets, for the supply of many components, there can be no assurance that Cognex will be able to extend or renew these agreements on similar terms, such as purchase prices, or at all. Component suppliers may suffer from poor financial conditions, which can lead to business failure for the supplier, further limiting our ability to obtain sufficient quantities of components on reasonable terms, or at all. Therefore, Cognex remains subject to risks of supply shortages and price increases that can adversely affect its business and operating results.

Because the market for our products is characterized by rapid technological changes, we frequently introduce new products with improved functionality, ease-of-use, and performance, or lower cost that may replace existing products. Among the risks associated with the introduction of new products are difficulty predicting customer demand and effectively managing inventory levels to ensure adequate supply of the new product and avoid excess supply of the legacy product. Our failure to effectively manage product transitions or accurately forecast customer demand, in terms of both volume and configuration may lead to an increased risk of excess or obsolete inventory and resulting charges.

We strategically may enter into non-cancelable and/or non-refundable commitments with vendors to purchase materials for our products in advance of demand to address concerns about the availability of future supplies, build safety stock to help ensure customer shipments are not delayed should we experience higher than anticipated demand for materials with long lead times, or take advantage of favorable pricing. Disruptions in both the supply of materials for our products and delivery of products from our contract manufacturers, such as those caused by the impact of global supply chain challenges or other factors, have resulted, and may continue to result, in the Company purchasing a significant amount of inventory in response to these disruptions and in advance of demand. These measures to purchase inventory may expose us to an increased risk of excess or obsolete inventory and resulting charges if actual demand is lower than anticipated.

If components purchased by our primary contract manufacturer have not been consumed in the production of our finished goods within a certain period of time, we have been required, and may continue to be required, to purchase these components from our contract manufacturer and later sell them back when they are needed to meet our demand. While we typically expect these components to be consumed in the production of our finished goods, this arrangement may expose us to an increased risk of excess or obsolete inventory and resulting charges.

Cognex ships finished products for customers located in the Americas from our Southborough, Massachusetts distribution center, and finished products for customers located outside of the Americas from our Cork, Ireland distribution center. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Cognex has experienced, and may continue to experience, increased labor shortages or working restrictions due to factors such as health and safety concerns or governmental regulations. Although we have the ability to shift operations from one distribution center to another, there are practical challenges to doing so in a timely, cost-effective manner, and we may experience delays in shipping customer orders. These delays could negatively impact customer satisfaction and, in turn, cause loss of sales, which could adversely affect our operating results.

If flaws in either the design or manufacture of our products were to occur, we could experience a rate of failure in our products that could result in significant delays in shipment and material repair or replacement costs. Due, in part, to our focus on releasing new products as quickly as possible to satisfy customer demands, our release-to-market process may not be robust enough to detect significant design flaws or software bugs. While we engage in product quality programs and processes, including actively monitoring and evaluating the quality of our component suppliers and contract manufacturers, these actions may not be sufficient to avoid a product failure rate that results in:

Any of these results could have a material adverse effect on our operating results.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact around the world, particularly in China, prompting governments and businesses to take certain measures in response, such as the imposition of travel restrictions, temporary closures of businesses, quarantine and shelter-in-place orders, and adoption of remote working. COVID-19 continues to impact global economic activity and create macroeconomic uncertainty.

Although the impact of the pandemic has lessened in most locations, we continue to face several risks and uncertainties related to the impact of COVID-19 on our business. It is difficult for us to quantify the duration and severity of this impact due to many factors beyond our control and knowledge, including the timing, extent, trajectory, and duration of the pandemic, the emergence of new variants, the imposition of protective public safety measures, and the impact of the pandemic on the global economy. These risks and uncertainties include, among others:

These risks and uncertainties could have a material adverse effect on the continuity of our business, results of operations, and financial condition. This situation is continuously changing and additional impacts on our business may arise of which we are not currently aware.

In 2022, we had two large customers, one in the logistics industry and one in the consumer electronics industry, that each represented more than 10% of our total revenue. Large customers may divert management’s attention from other operational matters and pull resources from other areas of the business, resulting in potential loss of sales from other customers. In addition, large customers may receive preferred pricing and a higher level of support, which may lower our gross margin percentage. Furthermore, in certain instances, due to long supplier lead times, we may purchase inventory in advance of receipt of a large customer purchase order, which exposes us to an increased risk of excess or obsolete inventory and resulting charges. The loss of, or curtailment of purchases by, any one or more of our large customers, has had, and could in the future have a material adverse effect on our operating results.

We rely on our information technology systems, including third-party services, to effectively run our business. We may be subject to information security failures or breaches caused by hacking, malicious software, acts of vandalism or terrorism, or other events. The risk of a cyber attack continues to increase given rapid advancements in technologies as well as the proliferation of diplomatic and armed conflict throughout the world. Our security measures or those of our third-party service providers may not detect or prevent such breaches. Any such compromise to our information security could result in the distraction of management and diversion of information technology resources, theft of our intellectual property, including software source code, a misappropriation of our cash or other assets, an interruption in our operations, the unauthorized publication of our confidential business or proprietary information, the unauthorized release of customer, vendor, or employee data, and the exposure to litigation or regulatory penalties, any of which could harm our business and operating results. We have experienced cybersecurity incidents in the past; however, to date, these incidents have not had a material impact on our operations or financial results. Future cybersecurity incidents could have a material adverse effect on our business, reputation, financial condition, or operating results.

We are subject to a variety of United States and international laws, rules, policies and other obligations regarding data protection and security breaches. Privacy and data security have become significant issues in the United States, Europe, and in many other jurisdictions where we conduct or may in the future conduct our operations. For instance, the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR"), many state and federal privacy laws within the United States, and other similar global laws in locations in which we do business govern our global data privacy practices. The regulatory framework for the collection, use, safeguarding, sharing and transfer of information worldwide is rapidly evolving and is likely to remain uncertain for the foreseeable future. These laws continue to develop and may be inconsistent from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Complying with emerging and changing requirements may be costly and require us to change certain business practices. Noncompliance could result in significant fines, penalties, claims or legal liability. Any inability to adequately address privacy and data security concerns or comply with applicable privacy or data security laws, regulations and policies could result in additional cost and liability to us, damage our reputation, inhibit sales, and harm our business.

We rely on our proprietary software technology and hardware designs, as well as the technical expertise, creativity, and knowledge of our personnel to maintain our position as a leading provider of machine vision products. Software piracy and reverse engineering may result in counterfeit products that are misrepresented in the market as Cognex products or pirated products that contain stolen technology such as software. Although we use a variety of methods to protect our intellectual property, we rely most heavily on patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret protection, as well as non-disclosure agreements with customers, suppliers, employees, and consultants. We also attempt to protect our intellectual property by restricting access to our proprietary information by a combination of technical and internal security measures. These measures, however, may not be adequate to:

Our pending and future patent applications may not issue as patents or, if issued, may not issue in a form that will provide us with any meaningful protection or any competitive advantage. Even if issued, existing or future patents may be challenged, narrowed, invalidated, or circumvented, which could limit our ability to stop competitors from developing and marketing similar products, increase costs, or limit the length of patent protection we may have for our products. Furthermore, other companies may design around technologies we have patented, licensed, or developed. Moreover, changes in patent laws or their interpretation in the United States and other countries could also diminish the value of our intellectual property or narrow the scope of our patent protection. In addition, the legal systems of certain countries do not favor the aggressive enforcement of patents, and the laws of foreign countries may not protect our rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. As a result, our patent portfolio may not provide us with sufficient rights to exclude others from commercializing products similar to ours. Any of these adverse circumstances could have a material adverse effect on our operating results.

To support our growth and execute on our operating plans and strategic initiatives, we must effectively attract, train, develop, motivate, and retain skilled employees, while maintaining our unique corporate culture. Technical personnel with experience in machine vision and artificial intelligence are in high demand and competition for their talents is intense. We use time-based and performance-based equity awards, including stock options and restricted stock units ("RSUs") as a key component of compensation for our more senior employees in order to align employee interests with the interests of our shareholders, provide competitive compensation packages, and encourage employee retention. Our stock price volatility may cause periods of time during which option exercise prices might be less than the sale price of our common stock or the value of RSUs might be less competitive, which may lessen the retentive attributes of these awards. We are limited as to the number of stock options and RSUs that we may grant under our stock plans, and we are unsure how effective different stock-based awards with different vesting schedules will be to retain key talent. Accordingly, we may find it difficult to attract, retain, and motivate employees, and any such difficulties could materially adversely affect our business.

Beginning with the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our employees in various Cognex offices have worked remotely or pursuant to “hybrid” office attendance policies due to health and safety concerns, to comply with governmental regulations, or to adapt to changing workplace expectations, with the primary exception of our distribution center employees who remain on-site to manage the delivery of inventory to our customers. While we have been able to effectively conduct most business activities in this manner, these conditions have made it more challenging to maintain our collaborative corporate culture. As regulatory and health conditions allow, we are returning to a more collaborative, largely on-site work environment. In most locations, we have instituted a “hybrid” work model, where our employees work on-site in a team environment the majority of the time. If we are unsuccessful in bringing our employees back into the office, or our employees choose to leave the Company altogether for more remote work flexibility or higher compensation, our business and ability to execute our plans could be adversely affected in a material way. If we do not manage changing workforce dynamics effectively, it could materially adversely affect our culture, reputation, and operations.

The market for our products is characterized by rapidly changing technology and increasingly capable competitors. Accordingly, we believe that our future success will depend on our ability to accelerate time-to-market for new products with improved functionality, ease-of-use, performance, and price. There can be no assurance that we will be able to introduce new products in accordance with scheduled release dates or that new products will achieve market acceptance. Our inability to keep pace with the rapid rate of technological change and customer demands in the high-technology marketplace could have a material adverse effect on our operating results.

Product development is often a complex, time-consuming, and costly process involving significant investment in research and development with no assurance of return on investment. Our strong balance sheet allows us to continue to make significant investments in research, development, and marketing for new products and technologies. Research is by its nature speculative, and the ultimate commercial success of a product depends on various factors, many of which are not under our control. We may not achieve significant revenue from new product investments for a number of years, if at all. Moreover, new products, if introduced, may not generate the gross margins that we have experienced historically.

We utilize a direct sales force, as well as a network of distribution and integration partners, to sell our products and services. We are continually reviewing our go-to-market strategy to help ensure that we are reaching the most customers that we can and with the highest level of service. At times, this may require strategic changes to our sales organization or enlisting or dropping various distributors in certain regions, which could result in additional costs or operational challenges. Successfully managing the interaction of our direct and indirect sales channels to reach various potential customers for our products and services is a complex process. In addition, our reliance on indirect selling methods may reduce visibility to demand and pricing issues.

To support the expansion of our business internationally, we may decide to make changes to our operating structure in other countries when we believe these changes will make us more competitive by reaching additional customers, offering faster delivery, importation services, and/or local currency sales. These new operating models may require changes in legal structures, business systems, and business processes that may result in significant business disruption and negatively impact our customers’ experience, resulting in loss of sales. Furthermore, as we assume more responsibility for the importation of our products into other countries, we face higher compliance risk to adhering to local regulatory and trade requirements. Finally, the local stocking of finished products in countries outside of our primary distribution centers may result in higher costs and increased risk of excess or obsolete inventory associated with maintaining the appropriate level and mix of stock in multiple inventory locations, resulting in lower gross margins.

Our go-to-market strategy has distinct risks and costs, and therefore, our failure to implement the most advantageous balance in the sales and operating model for our products and services could have a material adverse effect on our revenue and profitability.

The machine vision market continues to be fragmented and competitive. Our competitors include primarily other vendors of machine vision systems, controllers, and components; manufacturers of image processing systems, sensors, and components; and system integrators. We also compete with internal engineering departments of current or prospective customers, as well as open-source tools available for free by various companies. In recent years, we have encountered increased competition from low-cost vision providers in China, as well as from large technology companies that may offer free open-source solutions. Any of these competitors may have greater financial or other resources than we do, or may develop more compelling technologies. We may not be able to compete successfully in the future and our investments in research and development, sales and marketing, and support activities may be insufficient to enable us to maintain our competitive advantage. In addition, competitive pressures could lead to price erosion that could have a material adverse effect on our gross margins and operating results.

Further, over the past year, we have seen some examples of industry consolidation in our markets. This trend may continue as companies attempt to strengthen or hold their market positions in an evolving industry and as companies are acquired or are unable to continue operations. For example, some of our current and potential competitors in the machine vision industry have made acquisitions, or announced new strategic alliances, with other current and potential competitors in the machine vision industry. We believe that industry consolidation may result in stronger competition and may be accompanied by pressure from customers for lower prices. This could lead to more variability in our operating results and could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition.

We have acquired, and may continue to acquire, new businesses and technologies. These acquisitions may involve significant risks and uncertainties, which could include, among others:

Acquisitions are inherently risky and the inability to effectively manage these risks could have a material adverse effect on our operating results.

The Company is making significant investments in business systems related to our sales processes, including systems to help our sales team more efficiently manage customer relationships and sales opportunities. Implementing new business systems requires a significant investment of time and money, and may divert management’s attention from other operational matters. The implementation of new business systems and changes to associated business processes, particularly those that are customer-facing, may result in significant business disruption and negatively impact our customers’ experience, resulting in loss of sales. The Company intends to continue to make IT-related investments to improve its management information systems, support new business models, and support the expansion of our business internationally. Any disruption occurring with our business systems may have a material adverse effect on our operating results.

As of December 31, 2022, we had approximately $673 million of debt securities in our investment portfolio. These debt securities are reported at fair value, with unrealized gains and losses, net of tax, included in shareholders’ equity as other comprehensive income (loss) since these securities are designated as available-for-sale securities. As of December 31, 2022, our portfolio of debt securities had a net unrealized loss of $26,817,000. Included in this net loss, were gross unrealized losses totaling $27,560,000, of which $12,718,000 were in a loss position for less than twelve months and $14,842,000 were in a loss position for greater than twelve months. Management monitors its debt securities that are in an unrealized loss position to determine whether a loss exists related to the credit quality of the issuer that would be reported in current operations. Management currently intends to hold these securities to full value recovery at maturity. It is our policy to invest in investment-grade debt securities that minimize our exposure to credit losses. No credit losses were recorded in 2022.

As of December 31, 2022, we had approximately $12 million in acquired intangible assets, consisting primarily of acquired technologies and customer relationships. These assets are susceptible to changes in fair value due to a decrease in the historical or projected cash flows from the use of these assets, which may be negatively impacted by economic trends. We evaluate long-lived assets for impairment annually each fourth quarter and whenever events or changes in circumstances, referred to as "triggering events," indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable. In 2020, deteriorating global economic conditions from the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a review of long-lived assets for potential impairment, which resulted in intangible asset impairment charges totaling $19,571,000. A further decline in the cash flows generated by these or other intangible assets may result in future impairment charges.

If we determine that any of these investments or intangible assets are impaired, we will be required to take a related charge to earnings that could have a material adverse effect on our operating results.

As a multinational corporation, we are subject to income taxes, as well as non-income based taxes, in the United States and numerous foreign jurisdictions. Our effective income tax rate is dependent on the geographic distribution of our worldwide earnings or losses and the tax laws and regulations in each geographic region in which we operate. Significant judgment is required in determining our worldwide provision for income and other taxes. The application of tax laws and regulations is subject to legal and factual interpretation, judgment, and uncertainty, and tax laws themselves are subject to change. For example, many countries have recently adopted, or are considering the adoption of, revisions to their respective tax laws based on the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (“OECD”)’s Inclusive Framework, which could impact our tax liability due to our organizational structure and significant operations outside of the United States. Furthermore, we are subject to regular review and audit by both domestic and foreign tax authorities and may be assessed additional taxes, penalties, fees, or interest, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, liquidity, or results of operations.

Although we believe our tax positions are reasonable, the final determination of tax audits or any related litigation could be different from what is reflected in our financial statements and could have a material adverse effect on our income tax provision, net income, or cash flows in the period in which the determination is made.

We face exposure to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, as a significant portion of our revenues, expenses, assets, and liabilities are denominated in currencies other than the functional currencies of our subsidiaries or the reporting currency of our company, which is the U.S. Dollar. In certain instances, we utilize forward contracts to hedge against foreign currency fluctuations. These contracts are used to minimize foreign currency gains or losses, as the gains or losses on the derivative are intended to offset the losses or gains on the underlying exposure. We do not engage in foreign currency speculation. If the counterparty to any of our hedging arrangements experiences financial difficulties, or is otherwise unable to honor the terms of the contract, we may experience material losses.

The success of our foreign currency risk management program depends on forecasts of transaction activity denominated in various currencies. To the extent that these forecasts are overstated or understated during periods of currency volatility, we could experience unanticipated foreign currency gains or losses that could have a material impact on our results of operations. In addition, our failure to identify new exposures and hedge them in an effective manner may result in material foreign currency gains or losses.

In addition to the U.S. Dollar, a significant portion of our revenues and expenses are denominated in the Euro and Chinese Renminbi, and to a lesser extent the Japanese Yen, Korean Won, and Mexican Peso. We estimate that approximately 52% of our sales in 2022 were invoiced in currencies other than the U.S. Dollar, and we expect sales denominated in foreign currencies to continue to represent a significant portion of our total revenue. While we also have expenses denominated in these same foreign currencies, the impact on revenues has historically been, and is expected to continue to be, greater than the offsetting impact on expenses. Therefore, in times when the U.S. Dollar strengthens in relation to these foreign currencies, we would expect to report a net decrease in operating income. Conversely, in times when the U.S. Dollar weakens in relation to these foreign currencies, we would expect to report a net increase in operating income. Thus, changes in the relative strength of the U.S. Dollar may have a material impact on our operating results.

Our revenue levels are impacted by global economic conditions, as we have a significant business presence in many countries throughout the world. Unfavorable economic conditions, such as inflation, slower growth or recession, higher interest rates, tighter credit, and labor shortages may cause companies to delay or reduce spending for automation projects, including those with machine vision, amid weaker general manufacturing confidence and heightened uncertainty around global trade. Further, customer confidence and capital investment can be materially adversely impacted as a result of financial market volatility, negative financial news, declines in income or asset values, energy shortages and cost increases, labor and healthcare costs, and other global economic conditions. When global economic conditions are unfavorable, our revenue and our ability to generate operating profits could be materially adversely affected.

As a result of global economic conditions, our business is subject to the following risks, among others:

As of December 31, 2022, the Company had approximately $854 million in cash and investments. In addition, Cognex has no long-term debt. We believe that our strong cash position puts us in a relatively good position to weather economic downturns. Nevertheless, our operating results have been materially adversely affected in the past, and could be materially adversely affected in the future, as a result of unfavorable economic conditions and reduced capital spending by manufacturers and logistics companies worldwide.

Our business, and the businesses of our customers, suppliers, and third-party service providers, could be disrupted by natural disasters, fires, energy shortages, public health crises, such as pandemics and epidemics, man-made disasters, such as cyber-attacks, terrorism or industrial accidents, or other events outside of our control. Certain of our business operations, such as our third-party primary contractor manufacturer in Indonesia, are in locations that may be more prone to earthquakes and other natural disasters, and global climate change may result in certain types of natural disasters occurring more frequently or with more intense effects. Following a business disruption, the Company could be subject to production downtimes, operational delays, substantial recovery time, customer claims, significant expenditures to resume operations, the diversion of management’s attention and resources, or loss of business, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our competitive position, operating results, or financial condition. Because the Company relies on single or limited sources for the supply of certain components and manufacture of our products, a business disruption affecting such sources would worsen any adverse consequences to the Company.

While the Company maintains insurance coverage for certain types of losses, such insurance coverage may be insufficient to cover all losses that may arise. The impact of any such business disruption is difficult to predict.

In 2022, approximately 66% of our revenue was derived from customers located outside of the United States. We anticipate that international sales will continue to account for a significant portion of our revenue. In addition, we source components from suppliers located outside of the United States, including China, and utilize third-party contract manufacturers, primarily located in Indonesia, to assemble certain of our products. We intend to continue to expand our sales and operations outside of the United States and expand our presence in international emerging markets. As a result, our business is subject to the risks inherent in international sales and operations, including, among other things:

Any of these factors could have a material adverse effect on our operating results.

In recent years, trade tariffs imposed by the United States on certain components imported from Chinese suppliers resulted in higher costs for our products, which, to date, have been immaterial to our total cost of goods. However, cost increases as a result of these or other trade tariffs could be material in the future. Trade tariffs also have had an indirect impact on the economic climate in China, which in turn, has had a negative impact on the Company's revenue from customers based in China who see risk in doing business with a U.S. company. In addition to trade tariffs, United States export controls that place restrictions on the exportation of our products or a subset of our products, including applicable regulations promulgated by the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security, have had a negative impact on our revenue from customers based in China. Political uncertainty surrounding trade and other international disputes could have a negative effect on customer confidence and spending, which could adversely affect our business. The imposition of additional tariffs or other trade barriers could increase our costs in certain markets and may cause our customers to find alternative providers of machine vision products and services. To date, the impact of these restrictions has been immaterial to our total revenue and costs; however, if disputes and conflicts continue or further escalate, actions by governments in response could be significantly more severe and restrictive and could materially adversely affect our operating results.

Furthermore, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022, the U.S. government and the governments of various jurisdictions in which we operate, including Canada, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and others, have imposed broad economic sanctions and export controls targeting specific industries, entities and individuals in Russia. Ongoing geopolitical tensions related to the Russia and Ukraine conflict, including resulting sanctions and export controls imposed by the U.S. and other countries as well as the impact on the supply of energy resources in Europe, have not materially adversely affected our business to date; however, further escalation of these geopolitical tensions could have a broader impact that expands into other markets where we do business, such as the European Union, which could adversely affect our business and/or our supply chain, distribution and integration partners, or customers in the broader region.

We also are subject to applicable anti-corruption laws, such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the U.K. Bribery Act, and similar anti-corruption and anti-kickback laws in the jurisdictions in which we operate. These laws generally prohibit offering, promising, giving, or authorizing others to provide anything of value, either directly or indirectly, to a government official or private party in order to influence official action or otherwise gain an unfair business advantage, such as to obtain or retain business. Particularly as a result of our global operations, including in developing countries, and our growing international sales force, our relationships with our customers and resellers could expose us to liability under these laws. Violations of anti-corruption laws may result in severe civil and criminal penalties for noncompliance. Even an unsuccessful challenge or investigation into our practices is costly to defend, and could cause adverse publicity, and thus could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or operating results.

Many governments, regulators, investors, employees, customers and other stakeholders are increasingly focused on environmental, social, and governance considerations relating to businesses, including climate change and greenhouse gas emissions, human and civil rights, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. In addition, the Company makes statements about its environmental, social, and governance goals and initiatives through its Sustainability Reports, information provided on its website, and other communications. Responding to these environmental, social, and governance considerations and implementation of these goals and initiatives involves risks and uncertainties, requires investments, and depends in part on third-party performance or data that is outside of the Company’s control. The Company cannot guarantee that it will achieve its announced environmental, social, and governance goals and initiatives. In addition, some stakeholders may disagree with the Company’s goals and initiatives. Any failure, or perceived failure, by the Company to achieve its goals, further its initiatives, adhere to its public statements, comply with federal, state, or international environmental, social, and governance laws and regulations, or meet evolving and varied stakeholder expectations and standards could result in legal and regulatory proceedings against the Company and adversely affect the Company’s business, reputation, results of operations, financial condition, and stock price.

The Company has experienced substantial stock price volatility in the past and may continue to do so in the future. The price of the Company’s stock may be affected by factors such as the Company’s financial performance, announcements of technological innovations or new products by us or our competitors, market conditions, and other factors. Additionally, the Company, the technology industry, and the overall stock market have, from time to time, experienced extreme stock price and volume fluctuations that have affected stock prices in ways that may have been unrelated to these companies’ operating performance. Price volatility may cause the average price at which we repurchase our stock in a given period to exceed the stock’s price at a given point in time. We believe the price of our stock should reflect expectations of future growth and profitability. If the Company fails to meet expectations related to future growth, profitability, dividends, share repurchases or other market expectations, the price of the Cognex’s stock may decline significantly, which could have a material adverse impact on investor confidence and employee retention.

From time to time, we may be subject to various claims, demands, and lawsuits by competitors, shareholders, customers, distributors, patent trolls, former employees, or other parties arising in the ordinary course of business, including lawsuits charging patent infringement, or claims and lawsuits instituted by us to protect our intellectual property and confidential information or for other reasons. These matters can be time consuming, divert management’s attention and resources, and cause us to incur significant expenses. Furthermore, the results of any of these actions may have a material adverse effect on our operating results.

None

In 1994, Cognex purchased and renovated a 100,000 square-foot building located in Natick, Massachusetts that serves as our corporate headquarters and is occupied by employees primarily in research, development, and engineering, manufacturing and quality assurance, and administration functions. In 1997, Cognex completed construction of a 50,000 square-foot addition to this building.

In 1995, Cognex purchased an 83,000 square-foot office building adjacent to our corporate headquarters that is occupied by employees primarily in research, development, and engineering, sales, marketing, service, finance, and information technology functions.

In 1997, Cognex purchased a three and one-half acre parcel of land adjacent to our corporate headquarters. This land is being held for future expansion and is currently used as an Ultimate Frisbee Field for our Cognoids.

In 2007, Cognex purchased a 19,000 square-foot building adjacent to our corporate headquarters. This facility served as the distribution center for customers in the Americas through the first quarter of 2022. This building is being held for future expansion and is expected to be used as a training center. In December 2021, Cognex entered into a lease for a 65,000 square-foot building in Southborough, Massachusetts for a term of 10 years to serve as a new distribution center for customers in the Americas effective as of the second quarter of 2022.

In 2014, Cognex purchased a 50,000 square-foot building in Cork, Ireland. This facility serves as the distribution center for customers outside of the Americas.

Cognex conducts certain of its operations in other leased facilities, predominantly research, development, and engineering, sales, and administration functions. These lease agreements expire at various dates through 2032. Certain of these leases contain renewal options, retirement obligations, escalation clauses, rent holidays, and leasehold improvement incentives.

Not applicable.

The Company’s common stock is traded on The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC, under the symbol CGNX. As of January 29, 2023, there were approximately 650 shareholders of record of the Company’s common stock. The Company believes the number of beneficial owners of the Company’s common stock on that date was substantially greater.

In October 2018, the Company's Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of $200,000,000 of the Company's common stock. Under this October 2018 program, in addition to repurchases made in prior years, the Company repurchased 1,215,000 shares at a cost of $51,036,000 in 2020, and 957,000 shares at a cost of $78,652,000 in 2021, which completed purchases under the October 2018 program.

On March 12, 2020, the Company's Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of an additional $200,000,000 of the Company's common stock. Under this March 2020 program, the Company repurchased 1,060,000 shares, including 5,000 shares that were repurchased in 2021 and settled in 2022, at a cost of $83,000,000 in 2021, and 1,677,000 shares at a cost of $117,000,000 in 2022, which completed purchases under the March 2020 program.

On March 3, 2022, the Company's Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of an additional $500,000,000 of the Company's common stock. Under this March 2022 program, the Company repurchased 1,682,000 shares at a total cost of $87,314,000 in 2022, leaving a remaining balance of $412,686,000.

The Company may repurchase shares under this program in future periods depending on a variety of factors, including, among other things, the impact of dilution from employee stock awards, stock price, share availability, and cash requirements. The Company is authorized to make repurchases of its common stock through open market purchases, pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 trading plans, or in privately negotiated transactions.

The following table sets forth information with respect to purchases by the Company of shares of its common stock during each fiscal month of the fourth quarter of 2022:

The Company’s Board of Directors declared and paid cash dividends of $0.055 per share in the first, second, and third quarters of 2020, $0.060 per share in the fourth quarter of 2020 and in the first, second, and third quarters of 2021, and $0.065 per share in the fourth quarter of 2021 and in the first, second, and third quarters of 2022. The dividend was increased to $0.070 per share in the fourth quarter of 2022. Also, in the fourth quarter of 2020, an additional special cash dividend of $2.00 per share was declared and paid.

Total dividends paid were $45,921,000 in 2022, $43,263,000 in 2021, and $390,508,000 in 2020, which included $351,428,000 paid for the special cash dividend. Future dividends will be declared at the discretion of the Company's Board of Directors and will depend on such factors as the Board deems relevant, including, among other things, the Company's ability to generate positive cash flow from operations.

Cognex Corporation (“the Company”) invents and commercializes technologies that address some of the most critical manufacturing and distribution challenges. We are a leading global provider of machine vision products and solutions that seek to improve efficiency and quality in a wide range of businesses across attractive industrial end markets. In addition to product revenue derived from the sale of machine vision products, the Company also

generates revenue by providing maintenance and support, consulting, and training services to its customers; however, service revenue accounted for less than 10% of total revenue for all periods presented.

Machine vision is used in a variety of industries where technology is widely recognized as an important component of automated production, distribution, and quality assurance. Virtually every manufacturer or distributor can achieve better quality and efficiency by using machine vision, leading to applications with a broad base of customers across a variety of industries, including automotive, logistics, consumer electronics, medical-related, semiconductor, consumer products, food and beverage, and others.

Revenue for the year ended December 31, 2022 totaled $1,006,090,000, representing a decrease of 3% from 2021. The decrease was driven by three primary factors: (i) lower revenue from the logistics industry, our largest market in 2021, as a result of the slowing of large e-commerce customer projects as such customers absorbed excess capacity built up during the pandemic; (ii) the unfavorable impact of foreign currency exchange rate changes on revenue; and (iii) the impact of the June 7, 2022 fire at our primary contract manufacturer's plant in Indonesia, which destroyed a large amount of component inventory limiting our ability to fulfill certain orders in the year. This decrease was partially offset by growth in the broader factory automation market, most notably in the consumer electronics, automotive, and semiconductor industries.

Gross margin as a percentage of revenue was 72% in 2022 compared to 73% in 2021. The decrease resulted primarily from higher inventory costs, due largely to global supply chain constraints and the expedited replenishment of inventories lost in the fire at our primary contract manufacturer's plant on June 7, 2022. These circumstances have resulted in broker-buy purchases for components at higher-than-normal costs. A more favorable revenue mix and the Company's price increases partially offset this decrease in gross margin.

Operating expenses increased by $30,950,000, or 7%, from 2021. On June 7, 2022, our primary contract manufacturer suffered a fire at its Indonesian plant destroying a large portion of the Company's component inventories. In 2022, the Company recorded a net loss related to the fire of $20,779,000, consisting primarily of losses from inventories and other assets of $48,339,000, offset by insurance recoveries of $27,560,000. Excluding the loss from fire of $20,779,000 and restructuring charges of $1,657,000 related to a business acquisition in 2022, operating expenses increased by $8,514,000, or 2%, as higher personnel-related costs and stock-based compensation expense, were largely offset by decreases in incentive compensation due to weaker business performance and the favorable impact of foreign currency exchange rate changes on expenses.

Operating income decreased to 24% of revenue in 2022 compared to 30% of revenue in 2021. This decrease was driven primarily by the loss from the fire of $20,779,000 and the decrease in revenue of $31,008,000. This lower level of operating income resulted in net income of 21% of revenue in 2022 compared to 27% of revenue in 2021, and net income per diluted share of $1.23 in 2022 compared to $1.56 in 2021.

The following table sets forth certain consolidated financial data as a percentage of revenue:

As foreign currency exchange rates are a factor in understanding period-to-period comparisons, we believe the presentation of results on a constant-currency basis in addition to reported results helps improve investors’ ability to

understand our operating results and evaluate our performance in comparison to prior periods. We also use results on a constant-currency basis as one measure to evaluate our performance. Constant-currency information compares results between periods as if exchange rates had remained constant period-over-period. We generally refer to such amounts calculated on a constant-currency basis as excluding the impact of foreign currency exchange rate changes. Results on a constant-currency basis are not in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP) and should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for, results prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

Gross margin as a percentage of revenue decreased to 72% in 2022 compared to 73% in 2021. The decrease resulted primarily from higher inventory costs, due largely to global supply chain constraints and the expedited replenishment of inventories lost in the fire at our primary contract manufacturer's plant on June 7, 2022. These circumstances have resulted in broker-buy purchases for components at higher-than-normal costs. The decrease in gross margin was also due to an unfavorable impact of foreign currency exchange rate changes.

A more favorable revenue mix partially offset this decrease in gross margin. A lesser percentage of revenue came from the logistics industry, which has relatively lower gross margins, and a greater percentage of revenue came from the consumer electronics industry, which has relatively higher gross margins. Further, the Company has increased prices, which has offset the impact of component cost inflation (not including broker-buy purchases) on our gross margin.

As of the date of this report, we expect gross margin as a percentage of revenue for the first quarter of 2023 to be in the low-70% range, primarily as a result of the significant premiums the Company has paid to replenish inventories lost in the fire at our primary contract manufacturer's plant on June 7, 2022.

Research, development, and engineering (RD&E) expenses in 2022 increased by $5,761,000, or 4%, from the prior year as detailed in the table below (in thousands).

RD&E expenses increased primarily due to higher personnel-related costs resulting from headcount additions to support new product initiatives and salary increases provided to employees as part of our merit and promotion process. Stock-based compensation expense also increased from the prior year due to a higher level of stock-based grants at a higher average economic value, as well as the impact of a forfeiture rate true-up that resulted in higher expense.

These increases were partially offset by lower incentive compensation expense compared to the prior year due to weaker business performance. Relevant performance goals for incentive compensation plans are set at the beginning of each year, with the ability to earn upside if the goals are exceeded. In contrast to 2022, performance goals set for 2021 incentive bonuses were exceeded, resulting in a higher level of bonus expense recorded in 2021. The impact of foreign currency exchange rate changes further offset the increase to RD&E expenses, as costs denominated in foreign currencies were translated into U.S. Dollars at a lower rate.

RD&E expenses as a percentage of revenue was 14% in 2022 compared to 13% in 2021. We believe that a continued commitment to RD&E activities is essential in order to maintain or achieve product leadership with our existing products and to provide innovative new product offerings, as well as to provide engineering support for large customers. In addition, we consider our ability to accelerate the time to market for new products to be critical to our revenue growth and competitive position. This annual percentage is impacted by revenue levels and investing cycles.

Selling, general, and administrative (SG&A) expenses increased in 2022 by $2,753,000, or 1%, from the prior year as detailed in the table below (in thousands).

SG&A expenses increased primarily due to higher personnel-related costs resulting from headcount additions, primarily for sales personnel to support the Company's anticipated revenue growth, and salary increases provided to employees as part of our merit and promotion process. In addition to salaries and fringe benefits, these personnel-related costs included sales commissions and travel expenses related to the additional headcount. Stock-based compensation expense also increased from the prior year due to a higher level of stock-based grants at a higher average economic value, as well as the impact of a forfeiture rate true-up that resulted in higher expense. While travel expenses increased due to the number of sales personnel added, expenses also increased due to a higher level of travel activity as restrictions related to COVID-19 continued to ease.

These increases were partially offset by lower incentive compensation expenses than the prior year, which included sales commissions and incentive bonuses, primarily due to weaker business performance. Relevant performance goals for these plans are set at the beginning of each year, with the ability to earn upside if the goals are exceeded. In contrast to 2022, performance goals set for 2021 sales commissions and incentive bonuses were exceeded, resulting in a higher level of incentive compensation expenses recorded in 2021. The impact of foreign currency exchange rate changes further offset the increase to SG&A expenses, as costs denominated in foreign currencies were translated into U.S. Dollars at a lower rate.

On June 7, 2022, the Company’s primary contract manufacturer experienced a fire at its plant in Indonesia. The fire destroyed a significant amount of Cognex-owned consigned inventories, as well as component inventories owned by the contract manufacturer that were designated for Cognex products. There was no significant damage to the Company's production equipment. Since the date of the fire, the Company has worked with the contract manufacturer to assess the damage, resume production, maintain standards of product quality, and replenish inventories destroyed by the fire. The Company has also been working to ramp up an additional contract manufacturer to further mitigate risk, diversify supply chain, and expand production capacity.

As a result of the fire, the Company recorded $48,339,000 in gross losses in 2022, related to $37,663,000 of Cognex-owned inventories, $8,709,000 of primarily prepayments related to Cognex-designated components that were owned by the contract manufacturer and other assets, and $1,967,000 related to deleveraging of costs related to our distribution centers.

Gross losses have been reduced by insurance proceeds received from the Company’s insurance carrier of $27,560,000 in the fourth quarter of 2022. Gross losses net of insurance recovery of $20,779,000 are presented in the caption “Loss from fire” on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

As of December 31, 2022 and through the date of financial statement issuance, management cannot yet estimate additional recoveries that could be available from the contract manufacturer. Any future, additional recoveries in excess of recognized losses will be treated as gain contingencies and will be recognized when the gain is realized or realizable. There can be no assurance, however, that additional insurance coverage and/or recoveries from the contract manufacturer will be available to cover the net loss from the fire.

On December 7, 2022, the Company acquired all of the outstanding shares of SAC Sirius Advanced Cybernetics GmbH ("SAC"), a leader in computational lighting technology based in Germany. The acquisition of SAC and its technology is expected to expand the Company’s capabilities in defect detection, and accelerate our growth trajectory with electric vehicle battery manufacturers. In December 2022, following its acquisition of SAC, the Company performed restructuring activities to align the cost and operating structure of the acquired business with the Company's business strategy. The restructuring activities resulted in charges of $1,657,000 in 2022. As of December 31, 2022, the majority of these restructuring actions were completed and no additional charges are expected to be incurred in future periods in relation to this restructuring plan.

The Company recorded foreign currency losses of $1,837,000 in 2022 and $2,270,000 in 2021. Foreign currency gains and losses result primarily from the revaluation and settlement of assets and liabilities that are denominated in currencies other than the functional currencies of our subsidiaries or the reporting currency of our company, which is the U.S. Dollar.

The Company recorded other expense of $412,000 in 2022 and $591,000 in 2021.

The Company’s effective tax rate was 14% of pre-tax income in 2022, compared to 12% in 2021.

The increase in effective tax rate in 2022 primarily resulted from the impact of discrete tax items, including a decrease in tax benefits related to stock-based compensation, an increase in certain international tax reserves, and a net expense related to return-to-provision adjustments. These impacts were partially offset by discrete tax benefits related to audit settlements, a release in the valuation allowance, Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income ("GILTI") adjustments, and a rate revaluation on deferred state tax assets.

Excluding the impact of all discrete tax items, the Company’s effective tax rate was 16% of pre-tax income for both 2022 and 2021.

Gross margin as a percentage of revenue decreased to 73% in 2021 compared to 75% in 2020. The decrease in gross margin percentage was primarily due to higher prices paid to purchase inventories in 2021, including higher costs for components and freight, due largely to global supply chain constraints. The decrease was also due to a greater percentage of total revenue coming from the logistics industry, which has relatively lower gross margins and included some comparatively lower margins from strategic logistics projects in 2021.

The unfavorable impact of higher inventory purchase prices and a higher percentage of logistics revenue was partially offset by manufacturing efficiencies related to the higher revenue level and lower provisions for excess and obsolete inventories as compared to the prior year. The higher provisions for excess and obsolete inventories in 2020 took into account the global economic conditions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Research, development, and engineering (RD&E) expenses in 2021 increased by $4,390,000, or 3%, from the prior year as detailed in the table below (in thousands).

RD&E expenses increased due to foreign currency exchange rate changes, as costs denominated in foreign currencies were translated into U.S. Dollars at a higher rate. Higher spending on outsourced engineering services due to the timing of product development activities, including engineering prototypes for large sales opportunities, also contributed to the increase. These increases were partially offset by lower personnel-related costs due to a workforce reduction in the second quarter of 2020. Higher costs from annual salary increases and fringe benefits provided to employees, as well as headcount additions to support new product initiatives, partially offset the lower costs from the workforce reduction.

RD&E expenses as a percentage of revenue was 13% in 2021 compared to 16% in 2020. We believe that a continued commitment to RD&E activities is essential in order to maintain or achieve product leadership with our existing products and to provide innovative new product offerings, as well as to provide engineering support for large customers. In addition, we consider our ability to accelerate the time to market for new products to be critical to our revenue growth. This annual percentage is impacted by revenue levels and investing cycles.

Selling, general, and administrative (SG&A) expenses increased in 2021 by $41,761,000, or 16%, from the prior year as detailed in the table below (in thousands).

SG&A expenses increased due to higher expenses related to annual incentive compensation plans, which include sales commissions and incentive bonuses. Relevant performance goals for these plans, as well as any changes to employee eligibility, are set at the beginning of each year, with the ability to earn upside if the goals are exceeded. Sales commissions were higher than the prior year primarily due to the higher business levels, which resulted in a greater portion of our sales team exceeding the performance goals set in their commission plans in 2021 versus 2020. Likewise, the performance goal set for 2021 incentive bonuses was exceeded based on the Company's operating income margin, with the same being true in 2020. However, incentive bonus accruals in 2021 were higher than the prior year primarily due to the impact of changes to employee eligibility, of which the most significant related to members of the Company's senior leadership team who were not eligible for 2020 incentive bonuses as part of the Company's restructuring plan.

Personnel-related costs increased due to higher costs from annual salary increases and fringe benefits provided to employees, as well as sales headcount additions in strategic growth areas of the business, partially offset by the impact of the workforce reduction that took place in the second quarter of 2020. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates also resulted in a higher level of expenses, as costs denominated in foreign currencies were translated into U.S. Dollars at a higher rate. Expenses were also higher due to investments the Company is making in business systems related to its sales process, including systems to help our sales team more efficiently manage customer relationships and sales opportunities. A portion of these costs was expensed as incurred, while the majority of these investments were accounted for as a capital asset that was placed into service in the first quarter of 2022. The Company also increased spending on marketing programs in an effort to generate future sales opportunities, particularly related to new product introductions, and incurred higher travel expenses as restrictions related to COVID-19 eased in certain regions.

On May 26, 2020, the Company's Board of Directors approved a restructuring plan intended to reduce the Company's operating costs, optimize its business model, and address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Company recorded restructuring charges of $15,924,000 in 2020, as a result of actions related to the restructuring plan, which included a global workforce reduction of approximately 8% and office closures. In addition, the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a review of long-lived assets for potential impairment in the second quarter of 2020. This review resulted in intangible asset impairment charges totaling $19,571,000 recorded in the second quarter of 2020.

The Company recorded foreign currency losses of $2,270,000 in 2021 and foreign currency gains of $3,697,000 in 2020. Foreign currency gains and losses result primarily from the revaluation and settlement of assets and liabilities that are denominated in currencies other than the functional currencies of our subsidiaries or the reporting currency of our company, which is the U.S. Dollar.

Investment income decreased by $6,334,000, or 49%, from the prior year. The decrease was due primarily to lower yields on the Company's portfolio of debt securities, partially offset by higher invested balances.

The Company recorded other expense of $591,000 in 2021 and $309,000 in 2020. Other income (expense) includes fair value adjustments of contingent consideration liabilities arising from business acquisitions.

The Company’s effective tax rate was 12% of pre-tax income in 2021, compared to 6% in 2020.

The increase in effective tax rate in 2021 primarily resulted from the impact of discrete tax items, including a decrease in tax benefits related to stock-based compensation and return-to-provision adjustments. These impacts were partially offset by a decrease in tax expenses for certain international tax reserves.

Excluding the impact of all discrete tax items, the Company’s effective tax rate was an expense of 16% of pre-tax income in 2021 and 17% of pre-tax income in 2020. The decrease in the effective tax rate excluding discrete tax items was due to the impact of higher estimated tax credits in 2021, partially offset by more of the Company's profits being earned and taxed in higher tax jurisdictions.

The Company has historically been able to generate positive cash flow from operations, which has funded its operating activities and other cash requirements and resulted in an accumulated cash and investment balance of $854,250,000 as of December 31, 2022. The Company has established guidelines relative to credit ratings, diversification, and maturities of its investments that maintain liquidity.

The Company’s cash requirements in 2022 were primarily met with positive cash flows from operations, the sale and maturity of investments, and the proceeds from stock option exercises. Cash requirements consisted of operating activities, the repurchase of common stock, the payment of dividends, capital expenditures, purchases of investments, and payments related to our acquisition of SAC on December 7, 2022. Cash flows from operating activities included the purchase of inventories intended to support higher business levels, secure key strategic components to meet customer demand, carry higher stocking levels to mitigate the Company's exposure to demand changes or supply disruptions, and replenish inventories destroyed by the fire on June 7, 2022 at the Company's primary contract manufacturer. Cash outlays in the first quarter of 2023 are planned to include incentive compensation payments that were earned and accrued in 2022.

Capital expenditures in 2022 totaled $19,677,000 and consisted primarily of computer hardware and software, manufacturing test equipment related to new product introductions, and improvements made to primarily the Company's distribution center in Southborough, Massachusetts. In 2021, the Company made investments in business systems related to its sales process, the majority of which were accounted for as a capital asset that was placed into service in the first quarter of 2022. Although the Company continues to make investments in its business systems related to its sales process, these investments are not expected to be material over the short or long term.

The Company's material cash requirements include contractual obligations related to inventory purchase commitments and leases. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had inventory purchase commitments of $50,942,000, with the majority payable within 12 months, and lease payment obligations of $44,336,000, with $9,473,000 payable within 12 months.

In October 2018, the Company's Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of $200,000,000 of the Company's common stock. Under this October 2018 program, in addition to repurchases made in prior years, the Company repurchased 1,215,000 shares at a cost of $51,036,000 in 2020, and 957,000 shares at a cost of $78,652,000 in 2021, which completed purchases under the October 2018 program. On March 12, 2020, the Company's Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of an additional $200,000,000 of the Company's common stock. Under this March 2020 program, the Company repurchased 1,060,000 shares, including 5,000 shares that were repurchased in 2021 and settled in 2022, at a cost of $83,000,000 in 2021, and 1,677,000 shares at a cost of $117,000,000 in 2022, which completed purchases under the March 2020 program. On March 3, 2022, the Company's Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of an additional $500,000,000 of the Company's common stock. Under this March 2022 program, the Company repurchased 1,682,000 shares at a total cost of $87,314,000 in 2022, leaving a remaining balance of $412,686,000. The Company may repurchase shares under this program in future periods depending on a variety of factors, including, among other things, the impact of dilution from employee stock awards, stock price, share availability, and cash requirements. The Company is authorized to make repurchases of its common stock through open market purchases, pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 trading plans, or in privately negotiated transactions.

The Company’s Board of Directors declared and paid cash dividends of $0.055 per share in the first, second, and third quarters of 2020, $0.060 per share in the fourth quarter of 2020 and in the first, second, and third quarters of 2021, and $0.065 per share in the fourth quarter of 2021 and in the first, second, and third quarters of 2022. The dividend was increased to $0.070 per share in the fourth quarter of 2022. Also, in the fourth quarter of 2020, an additional special cash dividend of $2.00 per share was declared and paid. Total dividends paid were $45,921,000 in 2022, $43,263,000 in 2021, and $390,508,000 in 2020, which included $351,428,000 paid for the special cash dividend. Future dividends will be declared at the discretion of the Company's Board of Directors and will depend on

such factors as the Board deems relevant, including, among other things, the Company's ability to generate positive cash flow from operations.

The total consideration for the 2019 acquisition of Sualab Co., Ltd. included deferred payments of $24,040,000 that may become payable in October 2023, contingent upon the continued employment of key talent.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 subjected unrepatriated foreign earnings to a one-time transition tax. During 2022, the Company paid $6,319,000 related to this one-time transition tax. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had a remaining balance payable of $44,010,000 and expects to continue making payments through 2024.

The Company believes that its existing cash and investment balances, together with cash flow from operations, will be sufficient to meet its operating, investing, and financing activities for the next twelve months. In addition, the Company has no long-term debt. We believe that our strong cash position has put us in a relatively good position with respect to anticipated longer-term liquidity needs.

The Inflation Reduction Act ("IRA") was enacted into law on August 16, 2022. Included in the IRA was a provision to implement a 15% corporate alternative minimum tax on “adjusted financial statement income” for applicable corporations and a 1% excise tax on repurchases of stock. These provisions are effective for tax years beginning after December 31, 2022. We are in the process of evaluating the provisions of the IRA, but we do not currently believe the IRA will have a material impact on our reported results, cash flows, approach to stock repurchases, or financial position.

Our discussion and analysis of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations are based on the consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of these financial statements requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. We base our estimates on historical experience and various other assumptions believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Changes in accounting estimates are reasonably likely to occur from period to period. Accordingly, actual results could differ from these estimates under different assumptions or circumstances resulting in charges that could be material in future reporting periods. We believe the following critical accounting policies require the use of significant estimates and judgments in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.

The Company enters into economic hedges utilizing foreign currency forward contracts with maturities of up to 3 months to manage the exposure to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates arising primarily from foreign-denominated receivables and payables.

The Company’s investment policy allows investment in debt securities with effective maturities up to ten years, however as of December 31, 2022, 77% of the investment portfolio has effective maturity dates of less than three years. Given the relatively short maturities and investment-grade quality of the Company’s portfolio of debt securities as of December 31, 2022, a sharp rise in interest rates should not have a material adverse effect on the fair value of these instruments. As a result, the Company does not currently hedge these interest rate exposures.

The following table presents the hypothetical change in the fair value of the Company’s portfolio of debt securities arising from selected potential changes in interest rates (in thousands). This modeling technique measures the change in fair value that would result from a parallel shift in the yield curve plus or minus 50 and 100 basis points (BP) over a twelve-month time horizon.

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Cognex Corporation (a Massachusetts corporation) and subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income, shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2022, and the related notes and financial statement schedule included under Item 15(a) (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2022, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.

As described further in Notes 1 and 14 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company recognizes revenue from application-specific customer solutions. For these transactions, revenue is recognized at the point in time when the solution is validated, which is when the Company can objectively determine that the agreed-upon specifications in the contract have been met and the customer will accept the performance obligation in the contract. We identified revenue recognition related to application-specific customer solutions as a critical audit matter.

The principal considerations for our determination that revenue recognition related to application-specific customer solutions is a critical audit matter are that evaluating the performance obligations and determining the timing of validation and that the agreed-upon specifications in the contract have been met relies on the use of management judgments and requires a higher degree of auditor judgment in designing, executing and evaluating the results of audit procedures. Accounting for application-specific customer solutions requires the Company to monitor and

evaluate customer contracts on an ongoing basis to determine the point in time at which the solution is validated, the agreed-upon specifications in the contract have been met and revenue can be recognized.

Our audit procedures related to the revenue recognition of application-specific customer solutions included the following, among others.

The accompanying consolidated financial statements reflect the application of the significant accounting policies described below.

The financial statements of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries, where the local currency is the functional currency, are translated using exchange rates in effect at the end of the year for assets and liabilities and average exchange rates during the year for results of operations. The resulting foreign currency translation adjustment, net of tax, is included in shareholders’ equity as accumulated other comprehensive loss.

The Company applies a three-level valuation hierarchy for fair value measurements. The categorization of assets and liabilities within the valuation hierarchy is based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the measurement of fair value. Level 1 inputs to the valuation methodology utilize unadjusted quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities. Level 2 inputs to the valuation methodology are other observable inputs, including quoted market prices for similar assets and liabilities, quoted prices for identical and similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data. Level 3 inputs to the valuation methodology are unobservable inputs based on management’s best estimate of the inputs that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability at the measurement date, including assumptions about risk. A change to the level of an asset or liability within the fair value hierarchy is determined at the end of a reporting period.

Money market instruments, as well as debt securities with original maturities of three months or less, are classified as cash equivalents and are stated at amortized cost. Debt securities with original maturities greater than three months and remaining maturities of one year or less are classified as current investments. Debt securities with remaining maturities greater than one year are classified as non-current investments. It is the Company’s policy to invest in investment-grade debt securities with effective maturities that do not exceed ten years.

Debt securities with original maturities greater than three months are designated as available-for-sale and are reported at fair value, with unrealized gains and losses, net of tax, included in shareholders’ equity as accumulated other comprehensive loss. Realized gains and losses are calculated using the specific identification method. Realized gains and losses, interest income, and the amortization of the discount or premium on debt securities arising at acquisition, are included in "Investment income" on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Management monitors its debt securities to determine whether a loss exists related to the credit quality of the issuer. If the present value of the cash flows expected to be collected from the security is less than the amortized cost basis of the security, then a credit loss exists and an allowance against the security for credit losses is recorded. The allowance is limited to the amount by which fair value is below amortized cost, recognizing that the investment could be sold at fair value. Credit losses continue to be remeasured in subsequent reporting periods. Credit losses and

recoveries related to debt securities are included in “Other income (expense)” on the Consolidated Statements of Operations. When developing an estimate of expected credit losses, management considers all relevant information including historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable forecasts of expected future cash flows.

The Company extends credit with various payment terms to customers based on an evaluation of their financial condition. Accounts that are outstanding longer than the payment terms are considered to be past due. The Company establishes an allowance against accounts receivable for credit losses when it determines receivables are at risk for collection based on the length of time the receivable has been outstanding, the customer’s current ability to pay its obligations to the Company, and general economic and industry conditions, as well as various other factors. Receivables are written off against this allowance in the period they are determined to be uncollectible and payments subsequently received on previously written-off receivables are recorded as a recovery of the credit loss. Credit losses and recoveries related to accounts receivable are included in "Selling, general, and administrative expenses" on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost and net realizable value. Cost is determined using standard costs, which approximates actual costs under the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method. Net realizable value is the estimated selling price in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal, and transportation.

Purchase price variances are incurred when actual costs are different than standard costs due to favorable or unfavorable market prices. Management applies judgment to recognize purchase price variances in the same period that the associated standard costs of the finished goods that consume these components are sold.

The Company’s inventory is subject to technological change or obsolescence. The Company reviews inventory quantities on hand and estimates excess and obsolescence exposures based on assumptions about future demand, product transitions, general economic and industry conditions, and other circumstances, and records reserves to reduce the carrying value of inventories to their net realizable value. If actual future demand is less than estimated, additional inventory write-downs would be required.

Goodwill is stated at cost. The Company evaluates the potential impairment of goodwill annually each fourth quarter and whenever events or circumstances indicate the carrying value of the goodwill may not be recoverable. The Company performs a qualitative assessment of goodwill to determine whether further impairment testing is necessary. Factors that management considers in this assessment include general economic and industry conditions, overall financial performance (both current and projected), changes in strategy, changes in the composition or carrying amount of net assets, and market capitalization. If this qualitative assessment indicates that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value, the Company would proceed to perform a quantitative impairment test. Under this quantitative analysis, the fair value of the reporting unit is compared with its carrying value, including goodwill. If the carrying value exceeds the fair value of the reporting unit, the Company recognizes an impairment charge. The Company estimates the fair value of its reporting unit using the income approach based on a discounted cash flow model. In addition, the Company uses the market approach, which compares the reporting unit to publicly-traded companies and transactions involving

similar businesses, to support the conclusions based on the income approach.

The Company evaluates the potential impairment of intangible assets whenever events or circumstances indicate the carrying value of the assets may not be recoverable. For finite-lived intangible assets that are subject to amortization, the Company follows a two-step process for impairment testing. In step one, known as the recoverability test, the carrying value of the asset is compared to the sum of the undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use and eventual disposition of the asset. If the sum of the undiscounted future cash flows is less than the carrying value, the asset is not recoverable and step two is performed. In step two, the impairment charge is measured as the amount by which the carrying value of the asset exceeds its fair value. For indefinite-lived intangible assets that are not subject to amortization, the fair value of the asset is measured and an impairment charge is recorded as the amount by which the carrying value of the asset exceeds its fair value.

Loss contingencies are accrued if the loss is probable and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. Legal costs associated with potential loss contingencies are expensed as incurred.

Derivative instruments are recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheets at fair value. Changes in the fair value of the Company’s economic hedges utilizing foreign currency forward contracts are included in "Foreign currency gain (loss)" on the Consolidated Statements of Operations. The Company recognizes all derivative instruments as either current assets or current liabilities at fair value on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. When the Company is engaged in more than one outstanding derivative contract with the same counterparty and also has a legally enforceable master netting agreement with that counterparty, the “net” mark-to-market exposure represents the netting of the positive and negative exposures with that counterparty. The cash flows from derivative instruments are presented in the same category on the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows as the category for the cash flows from the hedged item. Generally, this accounting policy election results in cash flows related to derivative instruments being classified as an operating activity on the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.

Management exercises judgment when determining the amount of revenue to be recognized each period. Such judgments include, but are not limited to, assessing the customer’s ability and intention to pay substantially all of the contract consideration when due, determining when two or more contracts should be combined and accounted for as a single contract, determining whether a contract modification has occurred, assessing whether promises are immaterial in the context of the contract, determining whether material promises in a contract represent distinct performance obligations, estimating the transaction price for a contract that contains variable consideration, determining the stand-alone selling price of each performance obligation, determining whether control is transferred over time or at a point in time for performance obligations, and assessing whether formal customer acceptance provisions are substantive.

Research and development costs primarily include costs related to personnel, prototyping materials and equipment, and outside services. Research and development costs are expensed when incurred until technological feasibility has been established for the product. Thereafter, all software costs may be capitalized until the product is available for general release to customers. The Company determines technological feasibility at the time the product reaches beta in its stage of development. Historically, the time incurred between beta and general release to customers has been short, and therefore, the costs have been insignificant.

The Company’s stock-based awards that result in compensation expense consist of stock options and restricted stock units ("RSUs"), including performance restricted stock units ("PRSUs"). The Company has reserved a specific number of shares of its authorized but unissued shares for issuance upon the exercise of stock options or the settlement of RSUs. When a stock option is exercised or an RSU is settled, the Company issues new shares from this pool. Management is responsible for determining the appropriate valuation model and estimating the fair value of stock-based awards, and in doing so, considers a number of factors, including information provided by an outside valuation advisor and the observable market price of the Company's common stock on the grant date. The fair value of RSUs is determined based on the observable market price of the Company's common stock on the grant date less the present value of expected future dividends. The fair value of PRSUs where the performance goal includes service and market conditions is calculated using a Monte Carlo simulation model to estimate the probability of satisfying the service and market conditions stipulated in the award grant. When determining the grant-date fair value of stock-based awards, management further considers whether an adjustment is required to the observable market price or volatility of the Company's common stock that is used in the valuation as a result of material non-public information, if that information is expected to result in a material increase in share price.

The Company recognizes a tax position in its financial statements when that tax position, based solely upon its technical merits, is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by the relevant taxing authority. Those tax positions failing to qualify for initial recognition are recognized in the first interim period in which they meet the more likely than not standard, or are resolved through negotiation or litigation with the taxing authority, or upon expiration of the statutes of limitations. Derecognition of a tax position that was previously recognized occurs when an entity subsequently determines that a tax position no longer meets the more likely than not threshold of being sustained.

Only the portion of the liability that is expected to be paid within one year is classified as a current liability. As a result, liabilities expected to be resolved without the payment of cash (e.g., resolution due to the expiration of the statutes of limitations) or are not expected to be paid within one year are not classified as current. It is the Company’s policy to record estimated interest and penalties as income tax expense and tax credits as a reduction in income tax expense.

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities as measured by the enacted tax rates that will be in effect when these differences reverse. Valuation allowances are provided if, based on the weight of available evidence, it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 imposed a minimum tax on foreign earnings related to intangible assets, known as the Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income (GILTI) tax. In 2019, the Company elected to account for the impact of the GILTI minimum tax in deferred taxes, a change from the Company’s initial election made in 2018 whereby the GILTI minimum tax was included in income tax expense as incurred on an annual basis. The change is considered preferable, as it appropriately matches the Company’s current and deferred income tax implications.

Sales tax in the United States and similar taxes in other jurisdictions that are collected from customers and remitted to government authorities are presented on a gross basis (i.e., a receivable from the customer with a corresponding payable to the government). Amounts collected from customers and retained by the Company during tax holidays are recognized as non-operating income when earned.

Basic net income per share is computed by dividing net income available to common shareholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted net income per share is computed by dividing net income available to common shareholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period plus potential dilutive common shares. Dilutive common equivalent shares consist of stock options and restricted stock units and are calculated using the treasury stock method. Common equivalent shares do not qualify as participating securities. In periods where the Company records a net loss, potential common stock equivalents are not included in the calculation of diluted net loss per share as their effect would be anti-dilutive.

Comprehensive income is defined as the change in equity of a company during a period from transactions and other events and circumstances, excluding transactions resulting from investments by owners and distributions to owners. Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax, consists of foreign currency translation adjustment losses of $48,050,000 and $43,665,000, as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively; net unrealized losses on available-for-sale investments of $19,976,000 and $3,006,000 as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively; and losses on currency swaps, net of gains on long-term intercompany loans of $1,271,000

at each year end.

Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax, to investment income on the Consolidated Statements of Operations were net realized gains (losses) of $(182,000), $236,000, and $4,119,000 for 2022, 2021, and 2020, respectively.

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash, cash equivalents, investments, and accounts receivable. The Company has certain domestic and foreign cash balances that exceed the insured limits set by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) in the United States and equivalent regulatory agencies in foreign countries. The Company primarily invests in investment-grade debt securities and has established guidelines relative to credit ratings, diversification, and maturities of its debt securities that maintain safety and liquidity. The Company has historically not experienced any significant realized losses on its debt securities.

The Company has two large customers that each represented 11% of total revenue in 2022. These two customers combined represented 17% of total accounts receivable as of December 31, 2022. The Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers and maintains allowances for potential credit losses. The Company has historically not experienced any significant losses related to the collection of its accounts receivable.

A significant portion of the Company's products is presently manufactured by a third-party contractor located in Indonesia. This contract manufacturer has agreed to provide the Company with termination notification periods and last-time-buy rights, if and when that may be applicable. Our contract manufacturer's challenges in obtaining components and maintaining production have resulted in delays, and may continue to result in delays, in meeting our delivery schedules that, as a result, delay deliveries to our customers past their requested delivery date. On June 7, 2022, this contract manufacturer suffered a fire at its Indonesian plant destroying a large portion of the Company's component inventories. In 2022, the Company recorded a net loss related to the fire of $20,779,000, consisting primarily of losses from inventories and other assets of $48,339,000, offset by insurance recoveries of $27,560,000. Refer to Note 22 for further information on this event and the charges recorded in "Loss from Fire" Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Certain key electronic and mechanical components, such as integrated circuit chips, are fundamental to the design of Cognex products. Due to the impact of global supply chain challenges or other factors, we have experienced, and may continue to experience, disruptions to the supply of components for our products that have resulted, and may continue to result, in higher purchase costs, delivery costs, and manufacturing delays.

The Company determines whether a transaction qualifies as a business combination by applying the definition of a business, which requires the assets acquired and liabilities assumed to be inputs and processes that have the ability to contribute to the creation of outputs. The Company accounts for business combinations under the acquisition method of accounting, which requires the following steps: (1) identifying the acquirer, (2) determining the acquisition date, (3) recognizing and measuring the identifiable assets acquired and the liabilities assumed, and (4) recognizing and measuring goodwill. The Company measures the identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed at their estimated fair values as of the acquisition date. Management is responsible for determining the appropriate valuation model and estimated fair values, and in doing so, considers a number of factors, including information provided by an outside valuation advisor. Management primarily establishes fair value using the income approach based on a discounted cash flow model. The income approach requires the use of many assumptions and estimates including future revenues and expenses, as well as discount factors. Contingent consideration liabilities are reported at their estimated fair values based on probability-adjusted present values of the consideration expected to be paid, using significant inputs and estimates. Key assumptions used in these estimates include probability assessments with respect to the likelihood of achieving certain milestones and discount rates consistent with the level of risk of achievement. The fair values of these contingent consideration liabilities are remeasured

each reporting period with changes in fair value included in "Other income (expense)" on the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Goodwill is recognized as of the acquisition date as the excess of the consideration transferred over the net amount of assets acquired and liabilities assumed. Transaction costs are expensed as incurred.

One-time employee termination benefits associated with restructuring activities exist at the date the plan of termination has been communicated to employees (the “communication date”) and all of the following criteria are met: (1) management, having the authority to approve the action, has committed to the plan of termination, (2) the plan identifies the number of employees to be terminated, their job classifications or functions and their locations, and the expected completion date, (3) the plan establishes the terms of the benefit arrangement in sufficient detail, and (4) actions required to complete the plan indicate it is unlikely that significant changes to the plan will be made. If employees are not required to render service until they are terminated in order to receive the termination benefits or will not be retained to render service beyond a minimum retention period, a liability for the termination benefits is recognized and measured at fair value at the communication date. Otherwise, a liability is measured initially at the communication date based on the fair value of the liability as of the termination date and recognized ratably over the future service period. Changes to the fair value of the liability are recorded as restructuring adjustments.

Closures of leased offices as part of a restructuring activity prior to the end of the contractual lease term are treated as abandoned right-to-use assets when the Company ceases to use the property for economic benefit and lacks either the intent or ability to sublease. The lease asset is written down to zero as of the abandonment date. Estimates of contract termination costs assume the Company will be obligated to pay the remaining rent over the contract period, and the lease liability continues to be recorded on the balance sheet. Subsequent negotiations that result in early contract terminations are recorded as favorable restructuring adjustments.

Other associated costs as part of a restructuring activity include costs to consolidate facilities, costs to relocate employees, and legal fees incurred to research local statutory requirements and prepare termination agreements. These costs are recognized in the period in which the liability is incurred, which generally corresponds to the period in which the services are rendered.

The amendments in these ASUs apply to all entities that have contracts, hedging relationships, and other transactions that reference LIBOR or another reference rate expected to be discontinued because of reference rate reform. Together, the ASUs provide optional expedients and exceptions for applying generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) to contracts, hedging relationships, and other transactions affected by reference rate reform if certain criteria are met. The expedients and exceptions provided by the amendments do not apply to contract modifications made and hedging relationships entered into or evaluated after December 31, 2024, except for hedging relationships existing as of December 31, 2024 that an entity has elected certain optional expedients for and that are retained through the end of the hedging relationship. The amendments in these ASUs are effective for all entities as of March 12, 2020 through December 31, 2024. Management adopted Topic 848 on January 1, 2023, and now uses the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR). The adoption did not have a material impact on the Company's financial statements and disclosures.

The amendments in this ASU primarily address the accounting for contract assets and contract liabilities related to revenue contracts with customers in a business combination. The ASU clarifies that an acquirer should account for the related revenue contracts in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 606 as if the acquirer had originated the contracts. The amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within those fiscal years, although early adoption is permitted. The amendments in the ASU should be applied prospectively to business combinations occurring on or after the effective date of the amendments. Management adopted this ASU on December 1, 2022 and the adoption did not have a material impact on the Company's financial statements and disclosures.