Is the business good?
How good a business is KN?
Knowles Corporation earns 7.5% on the capital it employs against a 9.0% cost of capital, so growth costs more than it returns.
7.5%
Return on invested capital · cost of capital 9.0% · 1.5 points below what the capital costs: growth destroys value
- Operating margin
- 13%
Operating margin · Electronic Components median 9.6% · 12 months to Q1 2026
- Share count, year on year
- −0.11%
Share count, year on year · flat: no meaningful dilution
- R&D as % of revenue
- 6.9%
R&D as % of revenue
| Year | Operating margin |
|---|---|
| FY2020 | 3.8% |
| FY2021 | 13% |
| FY2022 | 19% |
| FY2023 | 9.5% |
| FY2024 | 9.4% |
| FY2025 | 12% |
Details›
- Gross margin12 months to Q1 2026
- 44%
- Operating margin12 months to Q1 2026
- 13%
- Net margin12 months to Q1 2026
- 9.1%
- R&D as % of revenue
- 6.9%
- Revenue, trailing twelve months
- $614M
- Net income, trailing twelve months
- $56M
- Return on invested capitaloperating profit after tax ÷ debt + equity − cash
- 7.5%
Margins, capital and share counts from the statements as filed with the SEC; cash conversion from the cash flow statement.
Electronic Components
Ranks #20 of 23 by Smart Score