Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. Raises Stock Holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS

Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. grew its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) by 14.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 136,524 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 17,165 shares during the period. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions were worth $10,364,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of KTOS. Mission Wealth Management LP purchased a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the third quarter worth about $1,828,000. M&T Bank Corp lifted its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 6,900.4% during the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 176,831 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $13,423,000 after buying an additional 174,305 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the third quarter worth approximately $21,013,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 93.0% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 964,973 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $88,170,000 after purchasing an additional 465,100 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 16.3% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 413,514 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $37,783,000 after purchasing an additional 57,906 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Here are the key news stories impacting Kratos Defense & Security Solutions this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Reports that the U.S. government may fund or take equity stakes in domestic drone makers have raised hopes that Kratos could benefit from stronger demand, policy support, and a more favorable growth outlook. Kratos And US Drone Funding Talks Could Reshape Growth And Risk Profile
• Positive Sentiment: Heavy call-option buying suggests traders are positioning for additional upside tied to the drone-sector funding theme. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:KTOS)
• Neutral Sentiment: Several insiders recently sold shares, including director Bobbi Doorenbos and executives Steven S. Fendley and Jonah Adelman. While the sales can pressure sentiment, at least one was made under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan and does not necessarily indicate a change in fundamentals. Jonah Adelman insider sale details

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on KTOS. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Piper Sandler cut their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $99.00 to $75.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Clear Str raised shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Truist Financial raised shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $80.00 target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Sunday, May 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $96.28.

Insider Activity

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, SVP Marie Mendoza sold 1,013 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.49, for a total transaction of $54,185.37. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 65,996 shares in the company, valued at $3,530,126.04. The trade was a 1.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Stacey G. Rock sold 4,000 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.47, for a total value of $261,880.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 13,896 shares in the company, valued at $909,771.12. This represents a 22.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Insiders have sold a total of 199,388 shares of company stock worth $14,283,667 over the last three months. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:KTOS opened at $64.13 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $12.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 377.24 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 5.08 and a current ratio of 5.63. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a one year low of $35.88 and a one year high of $134.00. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $65.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $81.05.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.03. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a net margin of 2.08% and a return on equity of 2.82%. The firm had revenue of $371.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $345.00 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.12 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 22.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.