Knowles (NYSE:KN) Hits New 1-Year High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Knowles hit a new 52-week high, trading as high as $31.95 and last at $30.48 on volume of roughly 1.48 million shares.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed with a consensus Hold (2 Buys, 3 Holds) and a consensus target of $27.67, while the stock trades at a high valuation (PE ~59.8) and a market cap of about $2.6 billion.
• The company beat quarterly estimates (EPS $0.36 vs. $0.35; revenue $162.2M, +13.8% YoY) and set Q1 FY2026 guidance of $0.22–$0.26 EPS, even as insiders sold ~198,742 shares (~$5.3M) in the past 90 days.

Knowles Corporation (NYSE:KN - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $31.95 and last traded at $30.4760, with a volume of 1476523 shares. The stock had previously closed at $31.42.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Knowles from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Craig Hallum reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $30.00 target price on shares of Knowles in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Knowles in a report on Monday, December 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $27.67.

Knowles Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 2.75 and a quick ratio of 1.58. The stock's fifty day moving average is $26.82 and its 200-day moving average is $24.48. The stock has a market cap of $2.61 billion, a PE ratio of 59.76 and a beta of 1.49.

Knowles (NYSE:KN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The communications equipment provider reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.01. Knowles had a net margin of 7.45% and a return on equity of 9.76%. The firm had revenue of $162.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $156.23 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.27 earnings per share. Knowles's quarterly revenue was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. Knowles has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.220-0.260 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Knowles Corporation will post 0.92 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Knowles

In other news, COO Daniel J. Giesecke sold 15,885 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.22, for a total value of $432,389.70. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 164,963 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,490,292.86. This represents a 8.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Keith Barnes sold 41,048 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.16, for a total transaction of $1,114,863.68. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 198,742 shares of company stock worth $5,312,280. 2.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Knowles

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Aberdeen Group plc acquired a new stake in shares of Knowles during the third quarter worth about $8,535,000. Hodges Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Knowles during the third quarter worth approximately $1,878,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its stake in shares of Knowles by 13.0% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 334,980 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $7,808,000 after buying an additional 38,451 shares during the period. Phocas Financial Corp. purchased a new stake in shares of Knowles during the fourth quarter worth approximately $941,000. Finally, Cramer Rosenthal Mcglynn LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Knowles by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Cramer Rosenthal Mcglynn LLC now owns 1,421,713 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $33,140,000 after buying an additional 75,367 shares in the last quarter. 96.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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