Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Reaches New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $123.96 and last traded at $121.50, with a volume of 4399118 shares. The stock had previously closed at $119.72.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $112.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $80.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $70.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 26th. Finally, JMP Securities increased their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $70.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued 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 a consensus price target of $87.94.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Up 1.5%

The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $80.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $74.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 934.69 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a quick ratio of 3.68, a current ratio of 4.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $347.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $323.01 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 3.14% and a net margin of 1.56%.Kratos Defense & Security Solutions’s revenue was up 26.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.11 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In related news, CFO Deanna H. Lund sold 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.08, for a total transaction of $2,222,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 273,285 shares in the company, valued at $20,244,952.80. This represents a 9.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director William A. Hoglund sold 75,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.35, for a total transaction of $5,576,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 147,193 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,943,799.55. The trade was a 33.75% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 898,639 shares of company stock valued at $72,622,719. 2.37% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of KTOS. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Caitlin John LLC acquired a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 193.5% during the third quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 408 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 269 shares during the last quarter. 75.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.