Knowles (NYSE:KN) Reaches New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Knowles Corporation (NYSE:KN)’s share price hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $27.43 and last traded at $27.52, with a volume of 816354 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $26.98.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KN has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded Knowles to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Craig Hallum reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $30.00 price target on shares of Knowles in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Knowles in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $30.00 price target on shares of Knowles in a report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Susquehanna increased their price objective on shares of Knowles from $18.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $27.67.

Knowles Stock Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average of $23.40 and a 200 day moving average of $22.55. 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 has a market cap of $2.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.43 and a beta of 1.52.

Knowles (NYSE:KN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The communications equipment provider reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.01. Knowles had a return on equity of 9.76% and a net margin of 7.45%.The company had revenue of $162.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $156.23 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.27 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Knowles has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.220-0.260 EPS.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Jeffrey Niew sold 75,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.50, for a total transaction of $1,987,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 739,370 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,593,305. This represents a 9.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 200,000 shares of company stock valued at $5,050,000 over the last quarter. 2.54% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Knowles

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 1,094,715 shares during the period. Harvey Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Knowles in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $14,510,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Knowles by 10.5% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,108,184 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $119,072,000 after acquiring an additional 484,500 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of Knowles by 52.8% in the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 1,360,918 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $31,723,000 after acquiring an additional 470,100 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Knowles by 95.9% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 958,387 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $22,340,000 after buying an additional 469,286 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.