Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity
ITEM 5: MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS, AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
The Company’s common stock is traded on The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC, under the symbol CGNX. As of January 30, 2022, 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, the Company repurchased 1,398,000 shares at a cost of $61,690,000 in 2019, 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 this 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 had not yet settled as of December 31, 2021, at a cost of $83,000,000 in 2021, leaving a remaining balance of $117,000,000. 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 2021:
Total Number of
Shares Purchased Average
Price Paid
per Share Total Number of
Shares Purchased as
Part of Publicly
Announced Plans or
Programs Approximate Dollar
Value of Shares that
May Yet Be
Purchased Under the
Plans or Programs
October 4 - October 31, 2021 376,000 $ 80.70 376,000 $ 199,990,000
November 1 - November 28, 2021 624,000 79.76 624,000 150,229,000
November 29 - December 31, 2021 436,000 76.19 436,000 117,000,000
Total 1,436,000 $ 78.92 1,436,000 $ 117,000,000
The information required by Item 5 of Form 10-K regarding equity compensation plans is incorporated herein by reference to Item 12 of Part III of this Annual Report.
The Company’s Board of Directors declared and paid cash dividends of $0.050 per share in the first, second, and third quarters of 2019, $0.055 per share in the fourth quarter of 2019 and in the first, second, and third quarters of 2020, and $0.060 per share in the fourth quarter of 2020 and in the first, second, and third quarters of 2021. The dividend was increased to $0.065 per share in the fourth quarter of 2021. 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 $43,263,000 in 2021, $390,508,000 in 2020, which included $351,428,000 paid for the special cash dividend, and $35,124,000 in 2019. 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.
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Set forth below is a line graph comparing the annual percentage change in the cumulative total shareholder return on the Company’s common stock, based on the market price of the Company’s common stock, with the total return on companies within the Nasdaq Composite Index and the Research Data Group, Inc. Nasdaq Lab Apparatus & Analytical, Optical, Measuring & Controlling Instrument (SIC 3820-3829 US Companies) Index (the “Nasdaq Lab Apparatus Index”). The performance graph assumes an investment of $100 in each of the Company and the two indices, and the reinvestment of any dividends. The historical information set forth below is not necessarily indicative of future performance. Data for the Nasdaq Composite Index and the Nasdaq Lab Apparatus Index was provided to the Company by Research Data Group, Inc.
*$100 invested on 12/31/2016 in stock or index, including reinvestment of dividends. Fiscal year ended December 31.
12/16 12/17 12/18 12/19 12/20 12/21
Cognex Corporation 100.00 192.93 122.47 178.26 270.18 262.48
NASDAQ Composite 100.00 129.64 125.96 172.17 249.51 304.85
NASDAQ Stocks 100.00 156.42 147.15 208.82 292.61 341.98
(SIC 3820-3829 U.S. Companies) Lab Apparatus & Analyt,Opt, Measuring, and Controlling Instrument)
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ITEM 6: [RESERVED]