KN vs QRVO: Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

Same yardstick, side by side (as of October 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.

Reading it: QRVO is the cheaper of the two on forward earnings, but cheaper is not the same as better. Pair the valuation with growth (how far the forward P/E sits below the trailing P/E) and risk (beta) before you decide.

The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. KN and QRVO share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.

This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined KN and QRVO exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

Knowles Corporation designs and manufactures specialized electronic components that perform critical, hard-to-replicate functions in demanding devices. It operates in two segments: Precision Devices (PD), which makes high-performance capacitors and radio-frequency and microwave filters for defense, medtech, industrial, and electrification markets, and MedTech & Specialty Audio (MSA), which makes balanced armature speakers, hearing-aid microphones, and specialty audio parts. After selling its lower-margin consumer MEMS microphone business, Knowles now positions itself as a focused supplier of differentiated, high-reliability components rather than a volume consumer-electronics vendor. In September 2026 it extended its RF signal-chain range with a new line of A-Series attenuators.

Full KN guide

Qorvo designed and manufactured radio-frequency (RF) chips, filters, power amplifiers, and front-end modules used in smartphones, defense and aerospace systems, Wi-Fi and connectivity devices, and power management. It reported through three segments: Advanced Cellular Group (ACG), which serves handset makers including Apple and Android OEMs; High Performance Analog (HPA), which covers defense, infrastructure, and base-station markets; and the Connectivity and Sensors Group (CSG). Handset RF content was the largest and most cyclical piece, while defense and infrastructure were relative bright spots.

Full QRVO guide

Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.

• KN drivers: Precision Devices growth; Margin and mix improvement.
• QRVO drivers: Skyworks merger completed; Margin expansion despite soft revenue.

A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: Knowles is a small-cap supplier exposed to cyclical industrial, electrification, and defense budget swings, and a slowdown in any large end market could pressure results. For QRVO, with the deal closed, the arbitrage risk that dominated QRVO (an FTC second request in February 2026 that could have delayed or blocked the merger) is resolved.

Growth-minded investors who believe the theme has years to run tend to accept the richer multiple for more upside; value-minded investors lean toward the cheaper forward earnings and steadier profile. Pick KN if you believe its drivers more; QRVO if you believe its. Many investors hold both, but since they share themes, that is a concentrated bet, not diversification. Decide deliberately and check overlap. For the full detail, see the KN and QRVO guides.

KN. Revenue grew about 7 percent in 2025, then about 16 percent in Q1 2026 and 14 percent in Q2. The stock is up about 54 percent in 2026 but sits below the top of its 52-week range (about $21 to $43), so the market is pricing in continued margin and cash-flow improvement while trimming some of the summer's enthusiasm. Analysts expect EPS of about $1.34 for 2026 and $1.62 for 2027; Q3 results on October 22, 2026 (consensus about $0.36 EPS on $172 million of revenue) are the next data point.

QRVO. QRVO's last valuation figures (~26x trailing and ~14x forward earnings, ~11.6x EV/EBITDA at a ~$10.1 billion market cap) are of historical interest only, because the shares stopped trading when the Skyworks deal closed and the price tracked the deal terms rather than a standalone read for most of the past year. Qorvo's fiscal 2026 revenue was ~$3.7 billion with net income near $339 million. For anyone holding the Skyworks shares received in the merger, the relevant valuation is now Skyworks' own, which includes the combined business, its new debt and its synergy targets.

Headline figures (approximate, October 2026): KN shows revenue (ttm) ~$635M, q2 2026 revenue ~$167M (up ~14% YoY), margins (ttm) ~45% gross, ~15% operating, ~11% net, net income (ttm) ~$73M (EPS ~$0.84); QRVO shows status Acquired by Skyworks Solutions; completed October 5, 2026, consideration per qrvo share 0.960 Skyworks shares + $32.50 cash (terms agreed October 2025), last qrvo trade ~$114.17 (up ~28% in 2026), revenue (ttm, last report) ~$3.64B.

KN and QRVO are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined KN and QRVO exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.