Knowles (NYSE:KN) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Knowles (NYSE:KN) was upgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on KN. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Knowles from $30.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Craig Hallum restated a “buy” rating and set a $38.00 target price on shares of Knowles in a research report on Friday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $33.33.

Knowles Trading Up 4.1%

NYSE:KN opened at $36.69 on Tuesday. Knowles has a 12 month low of $16.09 and a 12 month high of $37.08. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $28.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $25.36. The company has a current ratio of 3.27, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The company has a market capitalization of $3.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.33 and a beta of 1.56.

Knowles (NYSE:KN) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The communications equipment provider reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $153.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $147.40 million. Knowles had a return on equity of 10.66% and a net margin of 9.10%.The firm’s revenue was up 15.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.18 EPS. Knowles has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.280-0.320 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Knowles will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Robert J. Perna sold 9,221 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.88, for a total transaction of $257,081.48. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Keith Barnes sold 41,048 shares of Knowles stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.16, for a total value of $1,114,863.68. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 210,548 shares of company stock valued at $6,635,758. Insiders own 2.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Millstone Evans Group LLC grew its stake in Knowles by 212.9% in the 1st quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 973 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 662 shares during the period. McMillan Office Inc. acquired a new position in Knowles during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in Knowles by 94.5% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,842 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 895 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Knowles in the first quarter valued at about $51,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Knowles during the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. 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.