Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Stock Price Up 5.6% – Time to Buy?

Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) rose 5.6% on Monday . The company traded as high as $49.42 and last traded at $49.21. Approximately 3,155,905 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 29% from the average daily volume of 4,451,863 shares. The stock had previously closed at $46.60.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Friday, July 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $100.00 to $89.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $100.00 to $80.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $101.29.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Up 5.6%

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 firm has a market capitalization of $9.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 289.47 and a beta of 1.07. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $52.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $72.63.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last posted 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. The firm had revenue of $371.00 million for 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%.Kratos Defense & Security Solutions’s revenue was up 22.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.12 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.48 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, insider David M. Carter sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.45, for a total value of $201,800.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 66,238 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,341,707.10. This represents a 5.69% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Stacey G. Rock sold 4,675 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $233,750.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 9,600 shares in the company, valued at $480,000. This represents a 32.75% 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 139,036 shares of company stock valued at $7,799,667. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 245.2% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 601,674 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $45,673,000 after buying an additional 427,396 shares during the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 435.1% during the 4th quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 43,011 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $3,265,000 after acquiring an additional 34,973 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp increased its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 6,900.4% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 176,831 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $13,423,000 after acquiring an additional 174,305 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 65.2% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 714,083 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $54,206,000 after acquiring an additional 281,811 shares during the period. Finally, B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG acquired a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,821,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

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.