Waverly Advisors LLC Trims Holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS

Waverly Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) by 8.1% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 128,221 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 11,347 shares during the quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC’s holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions were worth $9,041,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of KTOS. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,446,230 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $337,565,000 after acquiring an additional 148,622 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 3,311,095 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $251,345,000 after purchasing an additional 124,607 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7.4% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,046,194 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $278,331,000 after purchasing an additional 209,189 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 13.6% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,072,700 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $189,383,000 after purchasing an additional 247,652 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7,701.6% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,593,549 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $120,966,000 after purchasing an additional 1,573,123 shares in the last quarter. 75.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $80.00 price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Wedbush began coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $85.00 target price on the stock. Truist Financial upgraded Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $82.00 price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $101.29.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Marie Mendoza sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.93, for a total value of $86,895.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 64,447 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,733,414.71. This trade represents a 2.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Steven S. Fendley sold 7,000 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.37, for a total transaction of $338,590.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 302,126 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,613,834.62. This trade represents a 2.26% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 137,036 shares of company stock worth $7,780,257. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Trading Up 4.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:KTOS opened at $49.45 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $9.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 290.88 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 5.63 and a quick ratio of 5.08. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 1 year low of $45.58 and a 1 year high of $134.00. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $53.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $74.33.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.03. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 2.82% and a net margin of 2.08%.The company had revenue of $371.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $345.00 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.12 EPS. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.48 earnings per share for the current year.

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.