Robert W. Baird Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Knowles (NYSE:KN) Stock

Knowles (NYSE:KN) had its target price upped by investment analysts at Robert W. Baird from $30.00 to $39.00 in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the communications equipment provider’s stock. Robert W. Baird’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 24.88% from the company’s current price.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Knowles in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Craig Hallum restated a “buy” rating and issued a $30.00 target price on shares of Knowles in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Knowles from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $30.67.

Knowles Stock Performance

Knowles stock opened at $31.23 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 2.75 and a quick ratio of 1.58. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $26.91 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $24.52. Knowles has a 52-week low of $14.89 and a 52-week high of $31.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 61.24 and a beta of 1.49.

Knowles (NYSE:KN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The communications equipment provider reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.03. Knowles had a return on equity of 9.76% and a net margin of 7.45%.The firm had revenue of $153.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $147.40 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.18 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Knowles has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.280-0.320 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Knowles will post 0.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Daniel J. Giesecke sold 15,885 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.22, for a total value of $432,389.70. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 164,963 shares in the company, valued at $4,490,292.86. This trade represents a 8.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Raymond D. Cabrera sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.75, for a total value of $267,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 102,019 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,729,008.25. This represents a 8.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 198,742 shares of company stock valued at $5,312,280 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 2.24% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Knowles

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Knowles by 470.2% in the first quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 26,638 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $684,000 after acquiring an additional 21,966 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in Knowles in the first quarter valued at about $968,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its holdings in Knowles by 18.3% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 12,446 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $267,000 after acquiring an additional 1,927 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Knowles by 18.6% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 418,035 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $8,958,000 after acquiring an additional 65,658 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp bought a new position in Knowles in the fourth quarter valued at about $379,000. Institutional investors own 96.35% of the company’s stock.

Knowles News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Knowles this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 revenue and non-GAAP EPS beat consensus — revenue $153.1M (+15.8% YoY) and non‑GAAP EPS of $0.27 topped estimates; CEO said results were at/above guidance. Business Wire: Knowles Reports Q1 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Q2 guidance provided: EPS $0.280–0.320 and revenue $152M–$162M, roughly in line with or slightly above consensus — gives near-term visibility to growth and margins. KN Slide Deck / Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Profitability metrics improved — gross profit rose (~+24.7% YoY) and operating profit expanded sharply, signaling margin recovery across product lines. Quiver: Knowles Releases Q1 2026 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript and slide deck are available — management discussed product demand in RF and medtech; details may help model revenue cadence. Seeking Alpha: KN Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Market write-ups frame the quarter as bullish overall but note mixed metrics — analysts still expect FY EPS near prior consensus, keeping valuation sensitive to execution. Yahoo Finance: Knowles Reports Bullish Q1
• Negative Sentiment: GAAP results show a different picture — Quiver highlights diluted GAAP EPS of $0.11 and a sharp decline in net income versus last year, which may create confusion between GAAP and non‑GAAP performance. Quiver: Revenue Beat but EPS Miss
• Negative Sentiment: Cash flow and liquidity weakened — operating cash was negative and cash balances fell materially year‑over‑year while capex rose, raising near-term liquidity focus. Quiver: Revenue Beat but EPS Miss
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling reported over the past six months, which can weigh on investor sentiment despite operational improvements. Quiver: Insider Trading & Institutional Moves

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.