Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Shares Up 5.2% – What’s Next?

Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) traded up 5.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $46.41 and last traded at $46.17. 3,208,137 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 28% from the average daily volume of 4,475,554 shares. The stock had previously closed at $43.88.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KTOS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Wedbush started coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $85.00 target price for the company. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $80.00 target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $99.00 to $75.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $101.29.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 5.08, a current ratio of 5.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The firm has a market cap of $8.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 271.59 and a beta of 1.07. The business has a fifty day moving average of $53.14 and a 200 day moving average of $73.61.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $371.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $345.00 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.12 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In other news, SVP Marie Mendoza sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.93, for a total value of $86,895.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 64,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,733,414.71. This represents a 2.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Stacey G. Rock sold 4,675 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $233,750.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 9,600 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $480,000. This represents a 32.75% 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 144,036 shares of company stock worth $8,110,167. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp lifted its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7,600.0% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 385 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 380 shares during the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp boosted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 115.4% in the 4th quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp now owns 420 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the period. Vision Retirement LLC boosted its stake in 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. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. 75.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.