Phocas Financial Corp. Makes New Investment in Knowles Corporation $KN

Phocas Financial Corp. acquired a new stake in Knowles Corporation (NYSE:KN) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 43,927 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $941,000. Phocas Financial Corp. owned approximately 0.05% of Knowles at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of KN. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its position in Knowles by 94.5% in the 2nd 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. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in shares of Knowles during the third quarter worth about $105,000. LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Knowles during the third quarter worth about $182,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Knowles by 725.1% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 8,606 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $201,000 after buying an additional 7,563 shares during the period. Finally, Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. acquired a new stake in Knowles in the third quarter valued at approximately $202,000. 96.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Knowles Stock Performance

Shares of KN stock opened at $25.87 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $25.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $23.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 2.75. Knowles Corporation has a 1 year low of $12.19 and a 1 year high of $28.74. The firm has a market cap of $2.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.72 and a beta of 1.49.

Knowles (NYSE:KN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The communications equipment provider reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $162.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $156.23 million. Knowles had a return on equity of 9.76% and a net margin of 7.45%.The business’s revenue was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.27 EPS. Knowles has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.220-0.260 EPS.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KN has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Knowles in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research lowered Knowles from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Craig Hallum reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $30.00 price target on shares of Knowles in a report on Friday, February 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Knowles presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $27.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Knowles

In other news, VP Air A. Jr. Bastarrica sold 12,000 shares of Knowles stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.76, for a total value of $321,120.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 48,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,289,832. The trade was a 19.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Keith Barnes sold 41,048 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.16, for a total transaction of $1,114,863.68. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 248,742 shares of company stock valued at $6,549,780. 2.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.