Insider Selling: Knowles (NYSE:KN) VP Sells $111,986.93 in Stock

Key Points

• Insider sale: Knowles VP Air Jr. Bastarrica sold 3,623 shares at an average price of $30.91 on April 30 for $111,986.93, reducing his holding by 7.08% to 47,569 shares (disclosed in an SEC filing).
• Q1 beat and guidance: Knowles reported EPS of $0.27 (vs. $0.24 est.) and revenue of $153.1M (+15.8% Y/Y), and set Q2 EPS guidance of $0.280–0.320, prompting analyst target increases (e.g., Baird $39, Craig Hallum $38).
• Market context: Shares reached $31.20 on heavy volume, institutional investors own roughly 96% of shares, and repeated late-April insider selling has been flagged as a modest negative signal.

Knowles Corporation (NYSE:KN - Get Free Report) VP Air Jr. Bastarrica sold 3,623 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.91, for a total transaction of $111,986.93. Following the sale, the vice president owned 47,569 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,470,357.79. This trade represents a 7.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Knowles Price Performance

Shares of Knowles stock traded up $0.84 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $31.20. 914,424 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 706,093. The company has a market cap of $2.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.75 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a current ratio of 3.27, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $27.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $24.73. Knowles Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $15.82 and a fifty-two week high of $31.95.

Knowles (NYSE:KN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The communications equipment provider reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $153.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $147.40 million. Knowles had a net margin of 9.10% and a return on equity of 10.66%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 15.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.18 EPS. Knowles has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.280-0.320 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Knowles Corporation will post 0.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Key Headlines Impacting Knowles

Here are the key news stories impacting Knowles this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and guidance lift outlook: Knowles reported stronger-than-expected Q1 results (EPS $0.27 vs. $0.24 est.; revenue $153.1M, +15.8% Y/Y) and set Q2 EPS guidance of $0.280–0.320, supporting upward revisions and investor momentum. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Several firms raised targets/ratings after the results (Robert W. Baird moved its target to $39; Craig Hallum reiterated a buy with $38 PT), which helps justify the stock’s rally and investor interest. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum coverage: Zacks highlighted KN as a momentum pick, which can attract short-term momentum and screen-driven flows. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional positioning: Several institutional managers increased stakes in Q1 (e.g., Hodges Capital +66%), and institutions own ~96% of shares — good for stability but may limit free float and amplify moves on flows. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Repeated insider selling: VP Air A. Jr. Bastarrica sold multiple blocks late April (several filings showing ~2k+ shares per trade on Apr 27–29), totaling several thousand shares — not a headline-sized dump but a negative signal that some insiders are trimming positions. Read More.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on KN. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Knowles from $30.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Craig Hallum reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $38.00 target price on shares of Knowles in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Knowles from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $33.33.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Knowles

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Millstone Evans Group LLC increased its position in Knowles by 212.9% in the 1st quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 973 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 662 shares in the last quarter. McMillan Office Inc. acquired a new stake in Knowles in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its position in Knowles by 94.5% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,842 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 895 shares in the last quarter. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in Knowles in the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Knowles in the 4th quarter valued at about $52,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.35% of the company's stock.

About Knowles

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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