Knowles (NYSE:KN) Stock Rating Upgraded by Craig Hallum

Knowles (NYSE:KN) was upgraded by analysts at Craig Hallum to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, Zacks.com reports.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on KN. Susquehanna lifted their target price on Knowles from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. StockNews.com downgraded Knowles from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th.

Knowles Trading Down 0.0 %

NYSE KN opened at $17.92 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $1.61 billion, a PE ratio of 20.36 and a beta of 1.42. Knowles has a 12 month low of $12.78 and a 12 month high of $19.73. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $17.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $17.29. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The communications equipment provider reported $0.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.18 by ($0.16). The company had revenue of $204.70 million during the quarter. Knowles had a negative net margin of 24.36% and a positive return on equity of 5.39%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Keith Barnes sold 6,725 shares of Knowles stock in a transaction on Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.88, for a total value of $120,243.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 86,192 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,541,112.96. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other 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 sale, the director now directly owns 86,192 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,541,112.96. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Cheryl L. Shavers sold 12,579 shares of Knowles stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 23rd. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $846,051.57. 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 worth $530,948 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 2.65% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Knowles

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in KN. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake 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 buying an additional 566,476 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Knowles by 6.0% during 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 acquiring an additional 375,822 shares during the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Knowles during the second quarter valued at about $3,468,000. Ariel Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Knowles by 3.7% in 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 purchasing an additional 183,991 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Knowles in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,777,000. 96.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Knowles

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).