Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS Stock Acquired by Bouvel Investment Partners LLC

Bouvel Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) by 38.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 56,729 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,847 shares during the period. Bouvel Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions were worth $2,422,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in KTOS. Vision Retirement LLC lifted 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 valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares during the period. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. IMG Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 427.0% in the first quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 527 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 427 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 333.3% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 650 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Compass Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the second quarter worth approximately $34,000. 75.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Down 3.1%

KTOS stock traded down $1.27 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $40.35. 5,002,004 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,365,607. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $50.56 and its 200 day moving average is $55.45. The firm has a market cap of $7.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 237.35 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 5.54, a quick ratio of 4.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a twelve month low of $39.83 and a twelve month high of $134.00.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on KTOS shares. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Wedbush initiated coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $85.00 price objective for the company. Guggenheim started coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Monday, September 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $74.00 price objective for the company. Rothschild & Co Redburn assumed coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. They set a “buy” rating and a $70.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $94.16.

Insider Activity at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In related news, CFO Deanna H. Lund sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.78, for a total value of $341,460.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 273,511 shares in the company, valued at $13,341,866.58. This trade represents a 2.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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 26,500 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.25, for a total transaction of $1,676,125.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 182,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,516,813. The trade was a 12.70% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 375,513 shares of company stock valued at $23,597,752 over the last three months. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc is a technology company that develops products and systems for national security, defense, and commercial applications. Its offerings support unmanned systems, satellite communications, space operations, missile defense, hypersonic programs, launch systems, and command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C5ISR) missions.

The company provides unmanned aerial, ground, and maritime systems, including target drones and other autonomous platforms used for testing, training, and operational missions.