The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Invests $1.74 Million in Knowles Corporation $KN

Key Points

• The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired 41,870 Knowles shares worth approximately $1.74 million in the second quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 96.35% of the company, with several other funds also establishing or increasing positions.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but leans positive: Knowles has an overall “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $40.67, compared with a recent share price of $34.71.
• Knowles exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.33 in earnings per share and $166.8 million in revenue, up 14.3% year over year. The company issued third-quarter 2026 EPS guidance of $0.34 to $0.38.

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new stake in shares of Knowles Corporation (NYSE:KN - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 41,870 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,737,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Algert Global LLC boosted its stake in Knowles by 11.7% during the second quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 104,000 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $4,314,000 after buying an additional 10,880 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Knowles during the second quarter worth approximately $21,025,000. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC bought a new stake in Knowles during the 2nd quarter valued at $102,398,000. Commerce Bank bought a new stake in shares of Knowles in the second quarter valued at about $398,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. acquired a new position in Knowles during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $141,000. 96.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Knowles

In other news, Director Cheryl Shavers sold 6,618 shares of Knowles stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.27, for a total transaction of $259,888.86. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 35,723 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,402,842.21. The trade was a 15.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Raymond Cabrera sold 6,178 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.28, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 4.61% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 2.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on KN. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Knowles from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Knowles from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Monday. Zacks Research raised Knowles from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of Knowles from $33.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $44.00 price objective on Knowles in a research report on Friday, July 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $40.67.

Knowles Stock Up 0.7%

KN stock opened at $34.71 on Friday. The company's 50 day moving average price is $36.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $33.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.08 and a beta of 1.59. Knowles Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $20.57 and a fifty-two week high of $42.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 3.20.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.02. Knowles had a net margin of 10.63% and a return on equity of 11.45%. The company had revenue of $166.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $156.97 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.24 earnings per share. 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. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Knowles Corporation will post 1.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Knowles Company Profile

Knowles Corporation NYSE: KN is a leading developer and manufacturer of advanced micro-acoustic, audio processing and precision device solutions. The company's product portfolio includes microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) microphones, balanced armature receivers, acoustic filters, and custom audio processing integrated circuits. These solutions are designed to enable clear speech, enhanced voice capture and intelligent audio performance in a variety of end markets.

Founded in 1946, Knowles has evolved from its roots in vacuum tube components to become a pure-play audio technology provider following its spin-off from Dover Corporation in 2014.

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