Knowles (KN) CEO exercises options, sells 142,857 shares and retains large stake

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

Knowles Corp President & CEO Jeffrey Niew reported an exercise-and-sale transaction in company stock. On May 5, 2026, he sold 142,857 shares of Knowles common stock in an open-market sale at a weighted average price of $33.25 per share, with individual trade prices ranging from $33.01 to $33.55. On the same date, he exercised a non-qualified stock option to acquire 142,857 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $16.77 per share, fully using that option grant. After these transactions, he continues to hold 883,719 shares of Knowles common stock directly.

Insights

Equity compensation and insider-transactions analyst

CEO executed a routine option exercise paired with an open-market sale, retaining a substantial remaining stake.

Knowles Corp CEO Jeffrey Niew exercised a non-qualified stock option for 142,857 shares at $16.77 per share, then sold the same number of shares in open-market trades at a weighted average of $33.25. This is a classic exercise-and-sell pattern where derivative compensation is converted into cash and common stock holdings.

Following the sale, Niew still directly owns 883,719 shares of common stock, indicating a sizable continuing position. The filing describes sales across a price range of $33.01 to $33.55, but does not mention any pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan in the excerpt provided. Overall, this appears as a liquidity event tied to equity compensation rather than a directional bet on the company’s prospects.

Insider Trade Summary

Net Seller: 142,857 shares ($4,749,995)

Net Sell 3 txns

Insider Niew Jeffrey

Role President & CEO

Sold 142,857 shs ($4.75M)

Type	Security	Shares	Price	Value
Exercise	Non-Qualified Stock Option (right to buy)	142,857	$16.77	$2.40M
Exercise	Common Stock	142,857	$16.77	$2.40M
Sale	Common Stock	142,857	$33.25	$4.75M

Holdings After Transaction: Non-Qualified Stock Option (right to buy) — 0 shares (Direct, null); Common Stock — 1,026,576 shares (Direct, null)

Footnotes (1)

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Key Figures

Shares sold: 142,857 shares Weighted average sale price: $33.25 per share Shares acquired via option exercise: 142,857 shares +3 more

6 metrics

Shares sold 142,857 shares Open-market sale of common stock on May 5, 2026

Weighted average sale price $33.25 per share Common stock sold in multiple trades between $33.01 and $33.55

Shares acquired via option exercise 142,857 shares Non-qualified stock option exercise at $16.77 per share

Option exercise price $16.77 per share Non-qualified stock option for common stock

Shares held after transactions 883,719 shares Direct ownership of common stock following sale

Option expiration date February 9, 2027 Non-qualified stock option before full exercise

Key Terms

open-market sale, Non-Qualified Stock Option, weighted average price, derivative exercise/conversion

4 terms

open-market sale financial

"he sold 142,857 shares of Knowles common stock in an open-market sale"

An open-market sale is when a shareholder sells existing shares directly on a public exchange to any willing buyer, rather than through a private deal. Think of it like putting goods on a busy market stall where price is set by supply and demand; for investors it matters because such sales increase available supply, can put short-term downward pressure on the stock price, and signal changes in liquidity or investor confidence.

Non-Qualified Stock Option financial

"security_title: "Non-Qualified Stock Option (right to buy)""

A non-qualified stock option (NSO) is a contract that lets an employee or service provider buy company shares at a fixed price for a set period, like a voucher to purchase stock later at today’s price. It matters to investors because exercising NSOs creates ordinary income for the holder and can increase share count, affecting a company’s earnings and ownership mix; think of it as a future sale that can dilute existing shareholders and has immediate tax consequences for the recipient.

weighted average price financial

"The price reported in Column 4 is a weighted average price."

Weighted average price is the average price of a security where each trade or component is counted according to its size, so bigger trades pull the average more than smaller ones. Think of it like calculating the average cost of a grocery haul where items you bought more of have greater influence on the final per-item cost. Investors use it to understand the true average price paid or received, judge execution quality, and compare trading performance against market movement.

derivative exercise/conversion financial

"transaction_action: "derivative exercise/conversion""

Form 4 Insider Transactions: What Each Field Means →

SEC Form 4

FORM 4

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP

Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

OMB APPROVAL

OMB Number:			3235-0287
Estimated average burden
hours per response:			0.5

Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b).

Check this box to indicate that a transaction was made pursuant to a contract, instruction or written plan for the purchase or sale of equity securities of the issuer that is intended to satisfy the affirmative defense conditions of Rule 10b5-1(c). See Instruction 10.

1. Name and Address of Reporting Person^*

Niew Jeffrey

(Last) (First) (Middle)

1151 MAPLEWOOD DRIVE

(Street)

ITASCA ILLINOIS 60143

(City) (State) (Zip)

UNITED STATES

(Country)

2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
Knowles Corp [ KN ]

5. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer
(Check all applicable)

X	Director		10% Owner
X	Officer (give title below)		Other (specify below)
	President & CEO

2a. Foreign Trading Symbol

3. Date of Earliest Transaction (Month/Day/Year)
05/05/2026

6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)

X	Form filed by One Reporting Person
	Form filed by More than One Reporting Person

4. If Amendment, Date of Original Filed (Month/Day/Year)

Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
1. Title of Security (Instr. 3)	2. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	2A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	3. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		4. Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed Of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)			5. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 3 and 4)	6. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	7. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
			Code	V	Amount	(A) or (D)	Price
Common Stock	05/05/2026		M		142,857	A	$16.77	1,026,576	D
Common Stock	05/05/2026		S		142,857	D	$33.25(1)	883,719	D

Table II - Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)
1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 3)	2. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security	3. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	3A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	4. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		5. Number of Derivative Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)		6. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date (Month/Day/Year)		7. Title and Amount of Securities Underlying Derivative Security (Instr. 3 and 4)		8. Price of Derivative Security (Instr. 5)	9. Number of derivative Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 4)	10. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	11. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
				Code	V	(A)	(D)	Date Exercisable	Expiration Date	Title	Amount or Number of Shares
Non-Qualified Stock Option (right to buy)	$16.77	05/05/2026		M			142,857	02/10/2021	02/09/2027	Common Stock	142,857	$16.77	0	D

Explanation of Responses:

1. The price reported in Column 4 is a weighted average price. These shares were sold in multiple transactions at prices ranging from $33.01 to $33.55, inclusive. The reporting person undertakes to provide to Knowles Corporation, any security holder of Knowles Corporation, or the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission, upon request, full information regarding the number of shares purchased/sold at each separate price within the ranges set forth in this footnote to this Form 4.

	By: Robyn B. Martin For: POA for Jeffrey Niew	05/07/2026
	** Signature of Reporting Person	Date
Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly.
* If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4 (b)(v).
** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed. If space is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure.
Persons who respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB Number.
* Form 4: SEC 1474 (03-26)

FAQ

What did Knowles (KN) CEO Jeffrey Niew report in this Form 4 filing?

Jeffrey Niew reported an option exercise and share sale. He exercised a non-qualified stock option for 142,857 Knowles shares at $16.77, then sold 142,857 shares in open-market trades at a weighted average price of $33.25 per share, retaining a large remaining stake.

How many Knowles (KN) shares did the CEO sell, and at what price?

He sold 142,857 Knowles common shares in an open-market transaction. The Form 4 states a weighted average sale price of $33.25 per share, with individual trades executed between $33.01 and $33.55, inclusive, across multiple transactions on the same trading day.

What stock option did the Knowles (KN) CEO exercise in this transaction?

The CEO exercised a non-qualified stock option covering 142,857 shares of Knowles common stock. The option had an exercise price of $16.77 per share, with an original exercise date in February 2021 and an expiration date in February 2027 before being fully exercised.

How many Knowles (KN) shares does the CEO own after these transactions?

After completing the reported transactions, Jeffrey Niew directly holds 883,719 shares of Knowles common stock. This post-transaction holding figure comes from the Form 4 line item following the open-market sale entry, indicating his remaining direct ownership stake.

Was the Knowles (KN) CEO’s share sale a single trade or multiple trades?

The filing notes the sale price is a weighted average, meaning multiple trades occurred. Shares were sold in separate transactions at prices ranging from $33.01 to $33.55. The issuer states detailed trade-by-trade information is available upon request from Knowles or the SEC staff.

Does this Knowles (KN) Form 4 mention a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan?

The excerpted Form 4 footnote explains that the sale price is a weighted average over multiple trades, but it does not reference any Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Based on the provided text, there is no explicit indication that the transactions were pre-planned under such a program.