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KnowlesKN -2.47%75 Debt-to-Equity is 0.19 as of Jun. 2026, which is 12% above its 10-year median of 0.17. GuruFocus rates KN with a GF Score™ of 75/100 and a GF Value™ of $24.29 (Significantly Overvalued). The stock has 3 warning signs investors should review. Among 2,226 Hardware companies, Knowles ranks better than 60.2% on this metric.
A high debt to equity ratio generally means that a company has been aggressive in financing its growth with debt. This can result in volatile earnings as a result of the additional interest expense.
The historical rank and industry rank for Knowles's Debt-to-Equity or its related term are showing as below:
KN'
s Debt-to-Equity Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 0.06 Med: 0.17 Max: 0.36
Current: 0.19
During the past 13 years, the highest Debt-to-Equity Ratio of Knowles was 0.36. The lowest was 0.06. And the median was 0.17.
KN's Debt-to-Equity is ranked better than 60.2% of 2226
companies
in the Hardware industry
Industry Median: 0.27
vs KN: 0.19
Because a company can increase its ROE % by having more financial leverage, it is important to watch the leverage ratio when investing in high ROE % companies.
Knowles Debt-to-Equity Related Terms
Knowles Debt-to-Equity Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Knowles's Debt-to-Equity can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
For the Electronic Components subindustry, Knowles's Debt-to-Equity, along with its competitors' market caps and Debt-to-Equity data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
Knowles Debt-to-Equity vs Hardware Industry
For the Hardware industry and Technology sector, Knowles's Debt-to-Equity distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Knowles's Debt-to-Equity falls into.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
Knowles (KN) has a Debt-to-Equity of 0.19 as of Jun. 2026. Debt-to-Equity ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total company equity. View historical data on Knowles and its competitors. This is 12% above median its historical median of 0.17. Over the past decade, Knowles' Debt-to-Equity has ranged from 0.06 to 0.36. According to the industry distribution chart, Knowles ranks #886 out of 2226 companies in the Hardware industry, placing it in the top 39.8%.
Is Knowles' Debt-to-Equity too high?
Knowles' current Debt-to-Equity of 0.19 is 12% above median its 10-year median of 0.17. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 0.06 to a high of 0.36. The Hardware industry median Debt-to-Equity is 0.27. Knowles' value of 0.19 is 29.6% below this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Knowles ranks #886 out of 2226 companies in the Hardware industry, which is above the industry midpoint. Overall, Knowles has a GF Score™ of 75/100 and is considered Significantly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Knowles' Debt-to-Equity compare to BHE and OSIS?
According to the Hardware industry distribution chart, Knowles ranks #886 out of 2226 companies for Debt-to-Equity. This puts Knowles in the upper half of its industry. The industry median Debt-to-Equity is 0.27. Knowles' value of 0.19 is 29.6% below this benchmark. Historically, Knowles' own Debt-to-Equity has ranged from 0.06 to 0.36 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 0.17 vs. the industry median of 0.27, Knowles has consistently been below the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Debt-to-Equity for a Hardware company?
The median Debt-to-Equity among Hardware companies is 0.27, based on 2,226 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Debt-to-Equity significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Debt-to-Equity should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Knowles's current Debt-to-Equity of 0.19 is 29.6% below the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Debt-to-Equity mean?
A high Debt-to-Equity can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Debt-to-Equity ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total company equity. View historical data on Knowles and its competitors. For the Hardware industry, the median Debt-to-Equity is 0.27 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Knowles's current Debt-to-Equity is 0.19, which is 12% above median its own 10-year median of 0.17. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Knowles stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Knowles (KN) is currently considered Significantly Overvalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $24.29, compared to a current price of $35.17 — trading 44.8% above its estimated fair value. The current Debt-to-Equity is 0.19, which is 12% above median its 10-year median of 0.17 and 29.6% below the Hardware industry median of 0.27. Knowles' overall GF Score™ is 75/100 with 3 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Debt-to-Equity calculated?
Debt-to-Equity is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Knowles (KN), the current Debt-to-Equity is 0.19 as of Jun. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is Knowles (KN) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Knowles stock appears to be overvalued.
The current stock price of $35.17 is trading 44.8% above its estimated GF Value™ of $24.29.
GuruFocus considers Knowles to be Significantly Overvalued.
Key valuation signals for KN:
Debt-to-Equity: 0.19 (12% above median its 10-year median of 0.17)
GF Value™: $24.29 vs. price of $35.17 (44.8% above fair value)
Industry Position: 29.6% below the Hardware median (#886 of 2226)
No single metric tells the full story. See the KN stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Knowles Corp is engaged in the manufacturing of micro-acoustic microphones and balanced armature speakers, audio solutions, high-performance capacitors, and radio frequency filtering products. It operates in two segments; the Precision Devices segment specializes in the design and delivery of high-performance capacitor products and RF solutions; and Medtech & Specialty Audio segment designs and manufactures microphones and balanced armature speakers used in applications. The majority of its revenue comes from the Precision Devices. Geographically, it operates in United States, Asia, Other Americas, Europe and Others, out of which United States generates maximum revenue.
75GF Score
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