Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Shares Up 2.3% – What’s Next?

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) shares rose 2.3% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $92.24 and last traded at $89.06. Approximately 1,759,980 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 56% from the average daily volume of 3,999,184 shares. The stock had previously closed at $87.05.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KTOS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $93.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Truist Financial set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Friday, January 9th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $112.00 to $134.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. BTIG Research increased their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, B. Riley Financial lifted their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $105.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.28.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 3.68, a current ratio of 4.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 685.13 and a beta of 1.09. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $94.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $82.52.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, 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 sale, the director directly owned 147,193 shares in the company, valued at $10,943,799.55. This represents a 33.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Eric M. Demarco sold 200,000 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.09, for a total value of $14,818,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,196,237 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $88,629,199.33. The trade was a 14.32% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 916,815 shares of company stock worth $75,023,021 over the last ninety days. 2.37% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 1,389.0% in the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,707,776 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $247,409,000 after acquiring an additional 2,525,921 shares in the last quarter. Rovida Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the second quarter valued at approximately $82,315,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $104,807,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 29.6% in the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,086,494 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $236,268,000 after purchasing an additional 1,162,577 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Westfield Capital Management Co. LP bought a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $91,901,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Company Profile

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.