Knowles Corporation (NYSE:KN) Stock Rated "Hold" by Wall Street Brokerages

Key Points

• Knowles has a consensus “Hold” rating from five analysts: three recommend holding the stock and two recommend buying it. The average 12-month price target is $40.67, versus a recent share price of $36.78.
• Knowles beat quarterly expectations, reporting $0.33 EPS and $166.8 million in revenue, with revenue up 14.3% year over year. Analysts expect full-year EPS of $1.02, while the company issued third-quarter EPS guidance of $0.34–$0.38.
• Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.35% of Knowles shares, while insiders own 2.24%; two insiders recently sold portions of their holdings.

Knowles Corporation (NYSE:KN - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the five research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $40.67.

KN has been the subject of several research reports. Robert W. Baird set a $44.00 target price on Knowles in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Susquehanna boosted their price target on shares of Knowles from $33.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Knowles from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Knowles from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Knowles from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Monday, August 31st.

Knowles Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KN opened at $36.78 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $3.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.77 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 3.20 and a quick ratio of 1.75. Knowles has a 12 month low of $20.57 and a 12 month high of $42.93. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $36.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $34.31.

Knowles (NYSE:KN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The communications equipment provider reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.02. Knowles had a return on equity of 11.45% and a net margin of 10.63%.The firm had revenue of $166.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $156.97 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.24 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 14.3% on a year-over-year basis. Knowles has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.340-0.380 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Knowles will post 1.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Knowles

In other Knowles news, SVP Raymond D. Cabrera sold 6,178 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.28, for a total value of $224,137.84. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 127,945 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,641,844.60. This represents a 4.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Cheryl L. Shavers sold 6,618 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.27, for a total value of $259,888.86. Following the sale, the director owned 35,723 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,402,842.21. This trade represents a 15.63% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 2.24% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Knowles

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Knowles during the 2nd quarter worth about $571,614,000. Hodges Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Knowles by 66.2% in the first quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 217,386 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $5,582,000 after buying an additional 86,563 shares during the period. Andar Capital Management HK Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Knowles in the second quarter worth approximately $4,853,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Knowles in the second quarter worth approximately $21,025,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Knowles during the second quarter valued at approximately $21,568,000. 96.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Knowles

Knowles Corporation NYSE: KN is a global supplier of advanced audio, electronic and specialty component technologies. The company develops products that enable sound capture, processing and delivery in applications ranging from consumer electronics and communications equipment to medical devices and industrial systems.

Knowles' product portfolio includes microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) microphones, audio processors, speakers and related acoustic components. It also provides capacitors, resistors and other specialty electronic components, as well as precision devices used in medical, defense, aerospace and other demanding applications.

With operations and customers across North America, Europe, Asia and other international markets, Knowles serves manufacturers in the consumer electronics, mobile communications, hearing health, automotive, industrial and aerospace and defense sectors.

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