Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Insider Phillip Carrai Sells 26,500 Shares

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) insider Phillip Carrai sold 26,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.25, for a total value of $1,676,125.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 182,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,516,813. The trade was a 12.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Performance

NASDAQ:KTOS opened at $60.56 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.37 billion, a PE ratio of 356.24 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 4.99 and a current ratio of 5.54. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $43.09 and a fifty-two week high of $134.00. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $52.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $67.18.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.07. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a net margin of 2.03% and a return on equity of 3.07%. The firm had revenue of $458.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $410.36 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.11 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 30.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KTOS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $105.00 target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $82.00 price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a “hold (c)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $99.47.

Institutional Trading of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC increased its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 34,973 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings 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 in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp raised its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 6,900.4% during the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 176,831 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $13,423,000 after purchasing an additional 174,305 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 65.2% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 714,083 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $54,206,000 after purchasing an additional 281,811 shares during the last quarter. Finally, B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG bought a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 4th quarter worth $1,821,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Kratos received multi-million-dollar orders through its newly acquired Orbit business for GAIA 100 5.5-meter and 6.1-meter tri-band ground-station systems. The orders indicate growing demand for satellite communications systems with S/X/Ka-band capabilities. Kratos Receives Multi-Million-Dollar Orders for GAIA 100 Tri-Band Ground Station Systems Through Newly Acquired Orbit
• Positive Sentiment: A U.S. Marine Corps Valkyrie Collaborative Combat Aircraft successfully demonstrated electronic-warfare capabilities and beyond-line-of-sight command and control during testing. The milestone supports Kratos’ position in unmanned and autonomous defense systems, although it does not represent a disclosed contract award. USMC Valkyrie Demonstrates Beyond-Line-Of-Sight Command and Control in Flight at U.S. Navy Test Range
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighted Kratos’ second-quarter strength: revenue rose 30.5% year over year to $458.8 million, while earnings exceeded expectations. Organic growth was especially strong in defense rocket support, turbine technology and microwave products, reinforcing the company’s improving production profile. Kratos: A Production Powerhouse That No Longer Feels Speculative
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts continue to view Kratos as a growth opportunity because of its $2.08 billion backlog, capacity expansion and exposure to unmanned systems and hypersonics. However, the investment case depends on margin improvement, and the stock’s valuation already assumes substantial long-term growth. Kratos: A Cautious Buy At The Inflection Point, Hinged On Margin Improvement
• Negative Sentiment: Insider Phillip D. Carrai sold 26,500 shares for approximately $1.68 million, while SVP Marie Mendoza sold 1,513 shares for about $97,000. Both transactions were made under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, which reduces their significance as discretionary bearish signals, but the sales can still weigh on sentiment. Kratos Trading Down Following Insider Selling

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.