Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Trading 3.2% Higher – Here’s Why

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) shares shot up 3.2% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $51.49 and last traded at $49.44. 4,776,138 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 6% from the average session volume of 4,526,285 shares. The stock had previously closed at $47.89.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Clear Str upgraded shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $80.00 price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $99.00 to $82.00 in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Citizens Jmp reduced their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $125.00 to $105.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $101.29.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $9.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 290.82 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 5.08 and a current ratio of 5.63. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $53.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $75.14.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $371.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $345.00 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 2.82% and a net margin of 2.08%.The firm’s revenue was up 22.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.12 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.48 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In related news, CFO Deanna H. Lund sold 5,000 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.10, for a total value of $310,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 295,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,331,920. The trade was a 1.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Phillip D. Carrai sold 6,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.13, for a total transaction of $338,845.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 221,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,549,401.50. This trade represents a 2.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 148,036 shares of company stock worth $8,455,857 in the last three months. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KTOS. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp increased its stake in 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 raised its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 288.2% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 75.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.