Retirement Systems of Alabama Takes Position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS

Retirement Systems of Alabama acquired a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 204,083 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,647,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Whittier Trust Co. acquired a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the third quarter valued at about $38,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the third quarter valued at about $51,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the second quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. bought a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the second quarter valued at about $30,000. 75.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:KTOS opened at $111.32 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $87.62 and its 200-day moving average is $79.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 3.68 and a current ratio of 4.30. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 52 week low of $23.90 and a 52 week high of $134.00. The company has a market capitalization of $18.80 billion, a PE ratio of 856.37 and a beta of 1.09.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on KTOS. Jones Trading began coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Monday, January 5th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $99.00 target price for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $93.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. JMP Securities raised their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, B. Riley upped their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $105.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $93.06.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Eric M. Demarco sold 200,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.09, for a total transaction of $14,818,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,196,237 shares in the company, valued at approximately $88,629,199.33. This represents a 14.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director William A. Hoglund sold 75,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.35, for a total value of $5,576,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 147,193 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,943,799.55. This trade represents a 33.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 904,815 shares of company stock worth $73,587,741 over the last ninety days. 2.37% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.