Q4 Cash from Operations above the High End of Guidance Range

Full Year operating cash flow and free cash flow margins of 17% and 15% of Revenues, respectively

Completed the acquisition of Cornell Dubilier in Q4

Full Year 2023 Share Repurchases of $48 million

Knowles Corporation (NYSE: KN), ("Knowles" the "Company"), a leading global supplier of high performance components and solutions, including capacitors and radio frequency ("RF") filters, advanced medtech microphones and balanced armature speakers, and MEMS microphones for the consumer electronic market, today announced results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2023.

“Revenue of $215 million was in line with our expectations and up 9% versus the fourth quarter of 2022 with all three segments increasing on a year over year basis. I am pleased to report Knowles delivered Net Cash from Operating Activities of $60 million, which was well above the high end of the guidance,” commented Jeffrey Niew, president and CEO of Knowles. “We closed the year with solid execution across our businesses even though we experienced challenges in our industrial and distribution end markets. We are also excited to have successfully completed the acquisition of Cornell Dubilier and while it has only been two months since we closed, we are confident in the synergy opportunities resulting from the acquisition. Reflecting on 2023, it was another year where we made significant progress in transitioning our company’s portfolio to higher value markets and products."

Mr. Niew continued, “As we look to the first quarter of 2024, we expect to see strong year over year organic growth despite excess channel inventory in some of our end markets. The Cornell Dubilier acquisition is anticipated to further add to growth and profitability. In total, revenue is expected to be up 35% and Non-GAAP Diluted EPS is expected to grow significantly from first quarter 2023 levels."

Financial Highlights

The following table highlights the Company’s financial performance on both a GAAP and supplemental non-GAAP basis (in millions, except per share data):

First Quarter 2024 Outlook

The forward looking guidance for the quarter ending March 31, 2024 is as follows:

Q1 2024 GAAP results are expected to include approximately $0.06 per share in stock-based compensation and $0.05 per share in amortization of intangibles, and $0.03 per share in integration and production transfer costs related to the acquisition of Cornell Dubilier that are excluded from non-GAAP results.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In addition to the GAAP results included in this press release, Knowles has presented supplemental non-GAAP financial measures including non-GAAP gross profit, earnings before interest and income taxes, adjusted earnings before interest and income taxes, non-GAAP diluted earnings per share, free cash flow, free cash flow margin, operating cash flow as a percent of revenue, net debt, as well as other metrics on a non-GAAP basis that exclude certain amounts that are included in the most directly comparable GAAP measure to facilitate evaluation of Knowles’ operating performance. Non-GAAP results are not presented in accordance with GAAP. Non-GAAP information should be considered a supplement to, and not a substitute for, financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. In addition, the non-GAAP financial measures included in this press release do not have standard meanings and may vary from similarly titled non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. Knowles believes that non-GAAP measures are useful as supplements to its GAAP results of operations to evaluate certain aspects of its operations and financial performance, and its management team primarily focuses on non-GAAP items in evaluating Knowles’ performance for business planning purposes. Knowles also believes that these measures assist it with comparing its performance between various reporting periods on a consistent basis, as these measures remove from operating results the impact of items that, in Knowles’ opinion, do not reflect its core operating performance including, for example, stock-based compensation, certain intangibles amortization expense, impairment charges, restructuring, production transfer costs, and other charges which management considers to be outside our core operating results. Knowles believes that its presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is useful because it provides investors and securities analysts with the same information that Knowles uses internally for purposes of assessing its core operating performance. For a reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures, see the reconciliation table accompanying this release.

Webcast and Conference Call Information

Investors can listen to a live or replay webcast of the Company’s quarterly financial conference call at http://investor.knowles.com. The live webcast will begin today at 3:30 p.m. Central time. The webcast replay will be available after 7:00 p.m. Central time today.

Investors can also listen to the conference call at 3:30 p.m. Central time today by calling (888) 596-4144 (United States) or (646) 968-2525 (International). The conference call replay will be available after 7:00 p.m. Central time today through 11:59 p.m. Central time on February 14, 2024 at (800) 770-2030 (United States) or (609) 800-9909 (International). The conference ID is 3966457 followed by # key.

About Knowles

Knowles is market leader and global provider of high performance capacitors and radio frequency ("RF") filtering products, and advanced micro-acoustic microphones and balanced armature speakers, audio solutions, serving the medtech, defense, consumer electronics, electric vehicle, industrial, and communications markets. Knowles' focus on the customer, combined with unique technology, proprietary manufacturing techniques, and global operational expertise, enables us to deliver innovative solutions across multiple applications. Knowles, founded in 1946 and headquartered in Itasca, Illinois, has approximately 7,700 employees at facilities located in 15 countries around the world. For more information, visit knowles.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, such as statements about our future plans, objectives, expectations, financial performance, and continued business operations. The words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “project,” “estimate,” “budget,” “continue,” “could,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “seek,” “should,” “will,” “would,” “objective,” “forecast,” “goal,” “guidance,” “outlook,” “effort,” “target,” and similar expressions, among others, generally identify forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statements were made. The statements in this news release, including those statements related to our expectations regarding the integration of Cornell Dubilier, are based on currently available information and the current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions of Knowles’ management concerning risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes or results to differ materially from those outcomes or results that are projected, anticipated, or implied in these statements. Other risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: if we are unsuccessful in identifying or completing a strategic alternative for our Consumer MEMS Microphone segment, unforeseen changes in MEMS microphone demand from our largest customers, particularly our top five customers, who represent a significant portion of revenues for our Consumer MEMS Microphone segment; our ongoing ability to execute our strategy to diversify our end markets and customers; our ability to stem or overcome price erosion in our segments; fluctuations in our stock's market price; fluctuations in operating results and cash flows; our ability to prevent or identify quality issues in our products or to promptly remedy any such issues that are identified; the timing of OEM product launches; risks associated with increasing our inventories in advance of anticipated orders by customers; global economic instability, including due to inflation, rising interest rates, negative impacts caused by pandemics and public health crises, or the impacts of geopolitical uncertainties; the impact of changes to laws and regulations that affect the Company’s ability to offer products or services to customers in different regions; our ability to achieve reductions in our operating expenses; the ability to qualify our products and facilities with customers; our ability to obtain, enforce, defend or monetize our intellectual property rights; disruption caused by a cybersecurity incident, including a cyber attack, cyber breach, theft, or other unauthorized access; difficulties or delays in and/or the Company’s inability to realize expected synergies from its acquisitions; increases in the costs of critical raw materials and components; availability of raw materials and components; managing new product ramps and introductions for our customers; our dependence on a limited number of large customers; our ability to maintain and expand our existing relationships with leading OEMs in order to maintain and increase our revenue; increasing competition and new entrants in the market for our products; our ability to develop new or enhanced products or technologies in a timely manner that achieve market acceptance; our reliance on third parties to manufacture, assemble, and test our products and sub-components; escalating international trade tensions, new or increased tariffs and trade wars among countries; financial risks, including risks relating to currency fluctuations, credit risks and fluctuations in the market value of the Company; a sustained decline in our stock price and market capitalization may result in the impairment of certain intangible or long-lived assets; market risk associated with fluctuations in commodity prices, particularly for various precious metals used in our manufacturing operation, changes in tax laws, changes in tax rates and exposure to additional tax liabilities; and other risks, relevant factors, and uncertainties identified in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, subsequent Reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K and our other filings we make with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Knowles disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

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