David Carter Sells 4,000 Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Stock

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) insider David Carter sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.90, for a total transaction of $223,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 62,237 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,479,048.30. This trade represents a 6.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of KTOS traded up $3.36 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $60.77. 4,776,115 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,979,758. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $52.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $70.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.41 billion, a PE ratio of 357.47 and a beta of 1.08. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 52-week low of $43.09 and a 52-week high of $134.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 5.54 and a quick ratio of 5.08.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $458.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $410.36 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a net margin of 2.03% and a return on equity of 3.07%. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions’s revenue for the quarter was up 30.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.11 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of KTOS. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 245.2% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 601,674 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $45,673,000 after purchasing an additional 427,396 shares during the period. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC increased its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 435.1% in the 4th quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 43,011 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,265,000 after purchasing an additional 34,973 shares in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp raised its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 6,900.4% during the 4th 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. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 65.2% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 714,083 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $54,206,000 after buying an additional 281,811 shares in the last quarter. Finally, B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG purchased a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,821,000. Institutional investors own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

More Kratos Defense & Security Solutions News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Results exceeded expectations. Kratos reported second-quarter EPS of $0.21, up from $0.11 a year earlier and above the $0.14 analyst consensus. Revenue increased 30.5% year over year to $458.8 million, surpassing estimates of approximately $410 million. Kratos Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted stronger second-half growth. The company cited increased capacity, program funding and bookings across hypersonics, jet engines, unmanned systems and counter-drone technologies. Kratos also views engines for low-cost cruise missiles as a significant future growth opportunity. KTOS Q2 Earnings Call Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: A new U.S. Army development contract adds strategic support. Kratos will develop an Enhanced Seeker for the Javelin missile system, expanding its role in precision weapons and missile technology. Kratos Receives U.S. Army Contract
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains supportive. Piper Sandler upgraded KTOS, and BTIG raised its price target to $104 while maintaining a Buy rating, reinforcing investor confidence following the earnings report. Kratos Upgraded at Piper Sandler
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation remains a risk. With a high earnings multiple and relatively modest profitability, KTOS could be vulnerable if program launches, capacity expansion or defense bookings fall short of expectations.
• Negative Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald reduced its price target to $100 from $115, although it retained an Overweight rating. Separately, CFO Deanna Lund sold 5,000 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan; the sale was a small reduction in her holdings but may provide a minor counterpoint to the bullish news. KTOS Insider Sale

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KTOS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $75.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $100.00 to $89.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Clear Str raised shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $99.00 to $82.00 in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Finally, Truist Financial upgraded Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $101.29.

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.