Knowles (NYSE:KN) Downgraded to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Knowles (NYSE:KN) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Saturday.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. Craig Hallum raised Knowles to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Susquehanna cut their price target on shares of Knowles from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday.

Knowles Price Performance

Shares of KN stock opened at $17.66 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $17.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $17.36. The company has a market capitalization of $1.56 billion, a PE ratio of -8.14 and a beta of 1.42. Knowles has a twelve month low of $12.78 and a twelve month high of $19.73. The company has a current ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

Knowles (NYSE:KN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The communications equipment provider reported $0.02 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by ($0.16). Knowles had a negative net margin of 24.36% and a positive return on equity of 5.39%. The firm had revenue of $204.70 million during the quarter.

Insider Activity at Knowles

In other Knowles news, Director Keith Barnes sold 6,725 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.88, for a total value of $120,243.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 86,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,541,112.96. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Knowles news, Director Cheryl L. Shavers sold 12,579 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.29, for a total transaction of $217,490.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 48,933 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $846,051.57. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Keith Barnes sold 6,725 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.88, for a total transaction of $120,243.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 86,192 shares in the company, valued at $1,541,112.96. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 29,748 shares of company stock valued at $530,948 in the last quarter. Insiders own 2.65% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Knowles

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Knowles by 569.5% during the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 665,947 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $11,494,000 after acquiring an additional 566,476 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Knowles by 6.0% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,678,995 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $115,277,000 after purchasing an additional 375,822 shares during the period. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new position in Knowles in the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,468,000. Ariel Investments LLC increased its stake in Knowles by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Ariel Investments LLC now owns 5,187,144 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $83,513,000 after buying an additional 183,991 shares during the period. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Knowles during the 2nd quarter worth about $2,777,000. 96.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Knowles Company Profile

Knowles Corporation offers capacitors, radio frequency (RF) filtering products, balanced armature speakers, micro-acoustic microphones, and audio solutions in Asia, the United States, Europe, other Americas, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Precision Devices (PD); Medtech & Specialty Audio (MSA); and Consumer MEMS Microphones (CMM).