Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the ten ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $32.00.

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on KTOS shares. JMP Securities reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. B. Riley upgraded Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $26.00 to $35.00 in a report on Monday, January 13th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $37.00 to $32.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $25.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $27.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider David M. Carter sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.49, for a total transaction of $105,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 103,430 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,739,860.70. This represents a 3.72 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Steven S. Fendley sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.59, for a total transaction of $172,130.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 370,660 shares in the company, valued at $9,114,529.40. The trade was a 1.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 115,181 shares of company stock worth $3,256,346 over the last three months. 2.27% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Creative Planning lifted its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 26,665 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $621,000 after acquiring an additional 2,125 shares in the last quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the third quarter valued at approximately $584,000. US Bancorp DE lifted its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 56.8% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 17,717 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $413,000 after purchasing an additional 6,415 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR boosted its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 19.5% in the third quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 23,476 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $547,000 after purchasing an additional 3,839 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 582.3% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,078 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 920 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Price Performance

NASDAQ:KTOS opened at $27.81 on Thursday. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has a 12-month low of $16.78 and a 12-month high of $35.66. The firm has a market cap of $4.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 278.13 and a beta of 1.10. The company’s 50-day moving average is $29.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $26.39. The company has a current ratio of 3.22, a quick ratio of 2.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

About Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc engages in the provision of mission critical products, services and solutions for United States national security priorities. It operates through the Kratos Government Solutions (KGS) and Unmanned Systems (US) segments. The KGS segment consists of an aggregation of KGS operating segments, including microwave electronic products, space, satellite and cyber, training solutions.