Knowles Corporation (NYSE:KN) Receives Average Rating of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Knowles Corporation has a consensus analyst rating of Hold, based on five covering analysts: three rate it a hold and two rate it a buy. The average 12-month price target is about $33.33.
• Recent analyst moves were mixed, with Robert W. Baird raising its target to $39 and issuing an outperform rating, while Zacks Research cut the stock from strong-buy to hold. Weiss Ratings also reaffirmed a hold rating.
• Insiders have been selling shares, including CEO Jeffrey Niew and COO Daniel J. Giesecke, while institutional investors have continued to add positions. The stock also recently beat quarterly earnings estimates, reporting $0.27 EPS on revenue of $153.1 million.

Shares of Knowles Corporation (NYSE:KN - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Hold" from the five analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $33.3333.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Knowles in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Zacks Research lowered shares of Knowles from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Knowles from $30.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Craig Hallum restated a "buy" rating and set a $38.00 target price on shares of Knowles in a report on Friday, April 24th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Jeffrey Niew sold 142,857 shares of Knowles stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.25, for a total transaction of $4,749,995.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 883,719 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,383,656.75. This trade represents a 13.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Daniel J. Giesecke sold 20,201 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.32, for a total transaction of $753,901.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 175,855 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,562,908.60. The trade was a 10.30% 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. Insiders have sold a total of 173,058 shares of company stock valued at $5,809,156 in the last quarter. Insiders own 2.24% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in Knowles during the 2nd quarter valued at $5,818,000. Rockland Trust Co. purchased a new position in shares of Knowles in the second quarter worth $321,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its stake in shares of Knowles by 35.9% in the second quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,151 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. Hilltop National Bank bought a new position in shares of Knowles during the second quarter valued at $80,000. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Knowles by 5.3% during the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 12,137 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $312,000 after purchasing an additional 609 shares in the last quarter. 96.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Knowles Price Performance

Knowles stock traded down $0.11 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $37.13. 866,699 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,186,154. Knowles has a 52-week low of $17.34 and a 52-week high of $42.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a current ratio of 3.27. The company has a market cap of $3.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.01 and a beta of 1.59. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $37.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $29.92.

Knowles (NYSE:KN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The communications equipment provider reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.03. Knowles had a net margin of 9.10% and a return on equity of 10.66%. The firm had revenue of $153.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $147.40 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.18 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 15.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Knowles has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.280-0.320 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Knowles will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

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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