David Carter Sells 4,000 Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Stock

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) insider David Carter sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.16, for a total value of $236,640.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 70,092 shares in the company, valued at $4,146,642.72. This trade represents a 5.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Trading Down 2.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:KTOS opened at $54.82 on Thursday. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 1 year low of $37.90 and a 1 year high of $134.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 322.47 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 5.63 and a quick ratio of 5.08. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $62.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $80.36.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.03. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 2.82% and a net margin of 2.08%.The firm had revenue of $371.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $345.00 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.12 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 22.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp increased its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7,600.0% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 385 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 380 shares during the last quarter. Vision Retirement LLC increased its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 288.2% in the 1st quarter. Vision Retirement LLC now owns 427 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. 75.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KTOS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $99.00 to $75.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Truist Financial raised Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $100.00 to $80.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $82.00 price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $96.28.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Kratos announced a major expansion of Spartan turbojet engine production, targeting 3,000 engines next year to meet rising demand from missile and loitering munition programs, which could boost future revenue visibility. Article: Kratos Expands Production of Spartan Engines to Support Growing Missile and Loitering Munition Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts noted Kratos is building a growth engine in hypersonics and autonomous systems, with Valkyrie drone production and improving Unmanned Systems profitability supporting the longer-term investment case. Article: Is KTOS Building a Growth Engine in Hypersonics & Autonomous Systems?
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider David M. Carter sold 4,000 shares under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan; the sale was disclosed properly, but insider selling can still weigh on sentiment. Article: Insider sale filing
• Negative Sentiment: Recent commentary suggested KTOS may be priced for a lot of growth after its multiyear run, adding to valuation concerns that could be contributing to the stock’s weakness. Article: Is Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (KTOS) Pricing In Too Much After Its Multiyear Run?

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.