Knowles (NYSE:KN) Updates Q1 2026 Earnings Guidance

Knowles (NYSE:KN) updated its first quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 0.220-0.260 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 0.220. The company issued revenue guidance of $143.0 million-$153.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $143.1 million.

Knowles Stock Performance

Shares of KN traded up $2.22 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $26.96. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,615,146 shares, compared to its average volume of 605,929. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $23.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $22.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.30 billion, a PE ratio of 52.86 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.90. Knowles has a one year low of $12.19 and a one year high of $27.36.

Knowles (NYSE:KN) last released 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. The business had revenue of $162.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $156.23 million. Knowles had a return on equity of 9.84% and a net margin of 7.45%.Knowles’s quarterly revenue was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.27 earnings per share. Knowles has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.220-0.260 EPS.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Knowles

In related news, CEO Jeffrey Niew sold 75,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 739,370 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,593,305. This trade represents a 9.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 200,000 shares of company stock worth $5,050,000. Corporate insiders own 2.54% of the company’s stock.

Knowles News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Knowles this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat — Knowles reported $0.36 EPS vs. $0.35 consensus and revenue of $162.2M vs. ~$156.2M expected; revenue rose ~13.8% year-over-year, showing clear near-term top-line momentum. Knowles Reports Q4 & Full Year 2025 Financial Results and Provides Outlook for Q1 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Demand acceleration — Analysts and press note accelerating demand for MEMS microphones, which along with a specialty film production ramp is supporting the company’s revenue growth outlook. This underpins medium-term secular growth drivers for the audio segment. Knowles earnings on deck as MEMS microphone demand accelerates
• Positive Sentiment: Q1 revenue target and specialty-film lift — Management is targeting ~12% revenue growth for Q1 2026 and issued revenue guidance of $143M–$153M, signaling the company sees continued strength from product ramps and specialty-film volumes. Knowles outlines 12% revenue growth target for Q1 2026 amid strong demand and specialty film ramp
• Neutral Sentiment: Guidance largely in line — Knowles set Q1 2026 EPS guidance of $0.220–$0.260 (consensus ~ $0.220) and revenue guidance that includes the Street estimate at the low end; guidance validates recovery but doesn’t offer a large surprise upside. Knowles Reports Q4 & Full Year 2025 Financial Results and Provides Outlook for Q1 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and execution risk — The stock trades with a relatively high PE (~56x) and remains sensitive to execution on ramps and macro-driven consumer electronics demand; any slowdown could pressure expectations. KN stock page

Institutional Trading of Knowles

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of KN. Man Group plc raised its position in Knowles by 55.0% in the third quarter. Man Group plc now owns 18,824 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $439,000 after acquiring an additional 6,679 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its holdings in shares of Knowles by 19.6% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 18,871 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $440,000 after purchasing an additional 3,097 shares during the period. iSAM Funds UK Ltd purchased a new position in Knowles in the third quarter valued at approximately $313,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Knowles by 8.0% during the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 20,289 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $357,000 after purchasing an additional 1,506 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in Knowles by 18.4% in the second quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 15,514 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $279,000 after buying an additional 2,409 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.35% of the company’s stock.

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.