Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Shares Up 7.5% – What’s Next?

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS)’s share price rose 7.5% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $103.49 and last traded at $103.37. 3,311,285 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 24% from the average daily volume of 4,342,491 shares. The stock had previously closed at $96.16.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on KTOS shares. Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $99.00 price objective for the company. B. Riley raised their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $105.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Jones Trading started coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Monday, January 5th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Noble Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, BTIG Research lifted their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.28.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Up 7.5%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 3.68 and a current ratio of 4.30. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $91.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $80.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.45 billion, a PE ratio of 795.22 and a beta of 1.09.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.12 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $347.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 in the prior year, the business earned $0.11 EPS. Analysts forecast that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director William A. Hoglund sold 75,000 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions 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 transaction, the director directly owned 147,193 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,943,799.55. This trade represents a 33.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Stacey G. Rock sold 16,568 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.74, for a total transaction of $1,934,148.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 26,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,092,092.38. This trade represents a 38.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 911,815 shares of company stock valued at $74,483,631. 2.37% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. bought a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the second quarter worth about $30,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Caitlin John LLC bought a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 193.5% during the 3rd quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 408 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 269 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

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.