Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Trading Up 2.2% – Here’s What Happened

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) shares were up 2.2% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $92.03 and last traded at $91.93. Approximately 2,875,598 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 9% from the average daily volume of 3,163,465 shares. The stock had previously closed at $89.93.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KTOS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $78.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. BTIG Research increased their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. KeyCorp assumed coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $90.00 price objective on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $80.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $82.53.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Price Performance

The business’s 50 day moving average is $77.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $71.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 3.68 and a current ratio of 4.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.52 billion, a PE ratio of 707.21 and a beta of 1.09.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.02. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 3.14% and a net margin of 1.56%.The firm had revenue of $347.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $323.01 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.11 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Jonah Adelman sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.80, for a total transaction of $2,244,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 9,348 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $699,230.40. The trade was a 76.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director William A. Hoglund sold 75,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.35, for a total transaction of $5,576,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 147,193 shares in the company, valued at $10,943,799.55. This represents a 33.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 659,865 shares of company stock valued at $50,524,536 in the last three months. Insiders own 2.37% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CWM LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.8% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,722 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $219,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Red Mountain Financial LLC raised its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Red Mountain Financial LLC now owns 10,500 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $488,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 15.2% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,515 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas grew its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 15.7% in the 3rd quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 1,660 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $152,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MRP Capital Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 11.1% in the second quarter. MRP Capital Investments LLC now owns 2,500 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $116,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

About Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc (NASDAQ: KTOS) is a technology-driven company that specializes in national security and defense solutions for government and military customers. The firm’s core capabilities span unmanned systems, satellite communications, missile defense, cyber security, and directed-energy weapons. Through its integrated approach, Kratos delivers mission-critical products and services designed to enhance operational readiness and support force modernization initiatives.

In the unmanned systems arena, Kratos develops high-performance aerial platforms used as target drones, low-cost attritable aircraft and experimental stealth demonstrators.