Insider Selling: Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Insider Sells $223,600.00 in Stock

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) insider David Carter sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.90, for a total transaction of $223,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 62,237 shares in the company, valued at $3,479,048.30. This trade represents a 6.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Performance

KTOS opened at $60.77 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 4.99 and a current ratio of 5.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 357.47 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a fifty day moving average of $52.27 and a 200 day moving average of $70.15. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $43.09 and a fifty-two week high of $134.00.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $458.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $410.36 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a net margin of 2.03% and a return on equity of 3.07%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 30.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.11 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $100.00 to $80.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. BTIG Research increased their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Truist Financial raised shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $134.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane increased their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $101.29.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Greenleaf Trust lifted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 3,830 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $291,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co increased its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,698 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $129,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 5,918 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $449,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,945 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $148,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC lifted its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 37,776 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,868,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. 75.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Here are the key news stories impacting Kratos Defense & Security Solutions this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Results exceeded expectations. Kratos reported second-quarter EPS of $0.21, up from $0.11 a year earlier and above the $0.14 analyst consensus. Revenue increased 30.5% year over year to $458.8 million, surpassing estimates of approximately $410 million. Kratos Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted stronger second-half growth. The company cited increased capacity, program funding and bookings across hypersonics, jet engines, unmanned systems and counter-drone technologies. Kratos also views engines for low-cost cruise missiles as a significant future growth opportunity. KTOS Q2 Earnings Call Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: A new U.S. Army development contract adds strategic support. Kratos will develop an Enhanced Seeker for the Javelin missile system, expanding its role in precision weapons and missile technology. Kratos Receives U.S. Army Contract
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains supportive. Piper Sandler upgraded KTOS, and BTIG raised its price target to $104 while maintaining a Buy rating, reinforcing investor confidence following the earnings report. Kratos Upgraded at Piper Sandler
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation remains a risk. With a high earnings multiple and relatively modest profitability, KTOS could be vulnerable if program launches, capacity expansion or defense bookings fall short of expectations.
• Negative Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald reduced its price target to $100 from $115, although it retained an Overweight rating. Separately, CFO Deanna Lund sold 5,000 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan; the sale was a small reduction in her holdings but may provide a minor counterpoint to the bullish news. KTOS Insider Sale

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.