Knowles (NYSE:KN) Hits New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Knowles Corporation (NYSE:KN)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $31.95 and last traded at $30.4760, with a volume of 1476523 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $31.42.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Knowles in a report on Monday, December 29th. Craig Hallum reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $30.00 target price on shares of Knowles in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Knowles from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $27.67.

Knowles Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $26.82 and a 200-day moving average of $24.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 2.75. The stock has a market cap of $2.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 59.76 and a beta of 1.49.

Knowles (NYSE:KN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The communications equipment provider reported $0.36 earnings per share 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $156.23 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.27 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. Knowles has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.220-0.260 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Knowles Corporation will post 0.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Knowles news, COO Daniel J. Giesecke sold 15,885 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.22, for a total value of $432,389.70. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 164,963 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,490,292.86. The trade was a 8.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Raymond D. Cabrera sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.75, for a total transaction of $267,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 102,019 shares in the company, valued at $2,729,008.25. This represents a 8.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 198,742 shares of company stock worth $5,312,280. 2.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Knowles

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of KN. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in Knowles by 27.0% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 70,073 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,064,000 after buying an additional 14,900 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake 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 valued at $786,000 after buying an additional 2,245 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake 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 valued at $3,626,000 after buying an additional 15,827 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in Knowles in the 1st quarter valued at $3,335,000. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Knowles in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,255,000. 96.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.