Knowles (NYSE:KN) Sets New 52-Week High - Here's Why

Key Points

• Knowles stock hit a new 52-week high, trading as high as $33 intraday, and several analysts raised targets (Craig Hallum $38, Robert W. Baird $39) though the consensus rating remains a Hold with a $33.33 target.
• The company beat expectations for the quarter with EPS $0.27 vs. $0.24 and revenue $153.1M vs. $147.4M (up 15.8% YoY), and provided Q2 guidance of $0.280–0.320 EPS while analysts expect ~0.92 EPS for the fiscal year.
• Insiders sold shares earlier this year (CEO sold 75,000 and a director 41,048; total insider sales of 205,119 shares worth $5.5M), while institutional investors own about 96.35% of the stock.

Shares of Knowles Corporation (NYSE:KN - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $33.00 and last traded at $30.2790, with a volume of 232 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $30.36.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KN has been the subject of several analyst reports. Craig Hallum reissued a "buy" rating and set a $38.00 price target on shares of Knowles in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Zacks Research raised shares of Knowles from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Knowles from $30.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $33.33.

Knowles Trading Up 1.5%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 3.27 and a quick ratio of 1.77. The stock has a market cap of $2.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.17 and a beta of 1.49. The company's fifty day moving average price is $27.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $24.73.

Knowles (NYSE:KN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The communications equipment provider reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $147.40 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.18 earnings per share. The company'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, research analysts expect that Knowles Corporation will post 0.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Jeffrey Niew sold 75,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.50, for a total transaction of $1,987,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 739,370 shares in the company, valued at $19,593,305. This represents a 9.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Keith Barnes sold 41,048 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 205,119 shares of company stock valued at $5,505,552. 2.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Knowles

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of KN. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in Knowles by 365.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,394,341 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $32,502,000 after buying an additional 1,094,715 shares during the period. Harvey Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Knowles during the 3rd quarter worth $14,510,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Knowles by 10.5% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,108,184 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $119,072,000 after purchasing an additional 484,500 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. boosted its stake in Knowles by 52.8% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 1,360,918 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $31,723,000 after purchasing an additional 470,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Knowles by 95.9% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 958,387 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $22,340,000 after acquiring an additional 469,286 shares during the period. 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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