Virtus Advisers LLC Takes $2.53 Million Position in Knowles Corporation $KN

Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Knowles Corporation (NYSE:KN) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm bought 60,890 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,526,000. Knowles accounts for approximately 1.0% of Virtus Advisers LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in Knowles by 27.0% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 70,073 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $1,064,000 after acquiring an additional 14,900 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in Knowles by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 51,722 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $786,000 after purchasing an additional 2,245 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in Knowles by 7.1% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 238,557 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $3,626,000 after purchasing an additional 15,827 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in Knowles in the first quarter valued at about $3,335,000. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Knowles in the second quarter valued at about $1,255,000. Institutional investors own 96.35% of the company’s stock.

Knowles Stock Performance

Shares of KN stock opened at $34.08 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $2.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.26 and a beta of 1.60. Knowles Corporation has a 52 week low of $20.10 and a 52 week high of $42.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 3.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $38.08 and a 200-day moving average of $32.82.

Knowles (NYSE:KN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The communications equipment provider reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.02. Knowles had a return on equity of 11.45% and a net margin of 10.63%.The business had revenue of $166.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $156.97 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.24 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 14.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Knowles has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.340-0.380 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Knowles Corporation will post 1.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Knowles from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of Knowles from $33.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Craig Hallum restated a “buy” rating and issued a $38.00 price target on shares of Knowles in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Robert W. Baird set a $44.00 price target on shares of Knowles in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Knowles from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Knowles has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $40.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Knowles

In other Knowles news, Director Cheryl L. Shavers sold 6,618 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.27, for a total transaction of $259,888.86. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 35,723 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,402,842.21. The trade was a 15.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Daniel J. Giesecke sold 20,201 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.32, for a total value of $753,901.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 175,855 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,562,908.60. This trade represents a 10.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders sold 32,997 shares of company stock worth $1,237,928. Insiders own 2.24% of the company’s stock.

Knowles 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.