Knowles (NYSE:KN) Upgraded to “Buy” at Craig Hallum

Knowles (NYSE:KN) was upgraded by investment analysts at Craig Hallum from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Monday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm presently has a $17.00 price objective on the communications equipment provider’s stock. Craig Hallum’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 33.44% from the stock’s previous close.

Separately, StockNews.com raised Knowles from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 17th.

Knowles Stock Performance

NYSE:KN opened at $12.74 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $16.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $18.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Knowles has a 12-month low of $11.08 and a 12-month high of $20.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.12 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.81 and a beta of 1.41.

Knowles (NYSE:KN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The communications equipment provider reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.23 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $142.50 million for the quarter. Knowles had a negative net margin of 34.66% and a positive return on equity of 5.52%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Knowles

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of KN. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Knowles in the fourth quarter worth $16,297,000. Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake in shares of Knowles by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 275,317 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $5,487,000 after acquiring an additional 5,019 shares during the period. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Knowles by 340.0% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 145,401 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $2,622,000 after acquiring an additional 112,354 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Knowles by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 9,475,339 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $169,135,000 after purchasing an additional 265,814 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in Knowles by 74.6% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 31,166 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $562,000 after purchasing an additional 13,320 shares during the last quarter. 96.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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).