Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $82.5294.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on KTOS shares. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $80.00 price objective on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $70.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, September 26th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $74.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, SVP Marie Mendoza sold 1,567 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.27, for a total transaction of $119,515.09. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 57,536 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,388,270.72. This represents a 2.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Stacey G. Rock sold 8,549 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.45, for a total value of $610,826.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 30,283 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,163,720.35. This represents a 22.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 665,711 shares of company stock worth $51,213,845. Insiders own 2.37% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the third quarter worth about $32,000. Caitlin John LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Whittier Trust Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 193.5% during the 3rd quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 408 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 269 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CI Investments Inc. raised its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 142.7% during the third quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 432 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Price Performance

Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock opened at $77.70 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $78.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $69.92. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has a 12-month low of $23.90 and a 12-month high of $112.57. The firm has a market cap of $13.12 billion, a PE ratio of 597.74 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a quick ratio of 3.68, a current ratio of 4.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.12 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $347.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $323.01 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a net margin of 1.56% and a return on equity of 3.14%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 26.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.11 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions will post 0.31 EPS for the current year.

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.