Knowles (NYSE:KN) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Knowles (NYSE:KN - Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Sunday morning.

KN has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Knowles from $18.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Craig Hallum raised Knowles from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $17.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th.

Knowles Stock Performance

Shares of KN stock traded down $0.35 on Friday, hitting $18.04. The company's stock had a trading volume of 564,148 shares, compared to its average volume of 729,155. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 2.02. The company has a market capitalization of $1.57 billion, a PE ratio of -6.68 and a beta of 1.41. Knowles has a fifty-two week low of $12.19 and a fifty-two week high of $20.85. The stock's 50 day moving average is $17.15 and its 200-day moving average is $17.15.

Knowles (NYSE:KN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The communications equipment provider reported $0.18 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.18. Knowles had a negative net margin of 38.96% and a positive return on equity of 6.35%. The company had revenue of $132.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $128.95 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.18 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down .8% on a year-over-year basis.

Insider Activity at Knowles

In other news, SVP Raymond D. Cabrera sold 5,545 shares of Knowles stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.25, for a total value of $95,651.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 111,286 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,919,683.50. This trade represents a 4.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.54% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Knowles

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of Knowles during the second quarter valued at about $307,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Knowles by 118.8% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,482 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $114,000 after buying an additional 3,520 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Knowles during the second quarter valued at approximately $278,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Knowles by 4.8% during the second quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 22,453 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $396,000 after buying an additional 1,026 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division lifted its stake in shares of Knowles by 9.3% in the second quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 23,763 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $419,000 after buying an additional 2,016 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.35% of the company's stock.

About Knowles

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).