Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Makes New Investment in Knowles Corporation (NYSE:KN)

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in Knowles Corporation, purchasing 14,070 shares worth approximately $214,000, according to a recent 13F filing.
• Several large institutional investors, including Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC with a $28.8 million stake, have increased their positions in Knowles during the last quarter, indicating strong institutional interest.
• Research analysis upgrades have adjusted Knowles' price targets, with Craig Hallum raising their target to $22.00 and changing their rating to "buy," reflecting positive market expectations for the stock.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in Knowles Corporation (NYSE:KN - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 14,070 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $214,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Knowles by 34.9% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 149,152 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $2,973,000 after purchasing an additional 38,603 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Knowles by 29.2% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 41,446 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $826,000 after buying an additional 9,376 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Knowles during the fourth quarter worth $7,983,000. National Bank of Canada FI raised its position in Knowles by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 72,011 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $1,435,000 after acquiring an additional 5,810 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its position in Knowles by 24.6% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 203,214 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $4,050,000 after acquiring an additional 40,100 shares in the last quarter. 96.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Knowles Price Performance

KN traded up $0.30 during trading on Friday, reaching $19.94. 157,540 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 736,789. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 2.00 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The company has a market capitalization of $1.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 68.73 and a beta of 1.45. Knowles Corporation has a 1 year low of $12.19 and a 1 year high of $21.37. The business's 50 day moving average price is $18.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $17.08.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Craig Hallum upped their price target on shares of Knowles from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Knowles from $18.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Knowles from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Air A. Jr. Bastarrica sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.94, for a total value of $209,400.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 62,537 shares in the company, valued at $1,309,524.78. This represents a 13.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Raymond D. Cabrera sold 5,545 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.25, for a total value of $95,651.25. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 111,286 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,919,683.50. The trade was a 4.75% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 71,675 shares of company stock worth $1,454,032. Insiders own 2.54% of the company's stock.

Knowles Profile

Knowles Corporation offers capacitors, radio frequency (RF) filtering products, balanced armature speakers, micro-acoustic microphones, and audio solutions in Asia, the United States, Europe, other Americas, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Precision Devices (PD); Medtech & Specialty Audio (MSA); and Consumer MEMS Microphones (CMM).