Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Stock Price Up 2.3% – Here’s What Happened

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) was up 2.3% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $92.24 and last traded at $89.06. Approximately 1,759,980 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 56% from the average daily volume of 3,999,184 shares. The stock had previously closed at $87.05.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on KTOS shares. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $99.00 price target on the stock. Citizens Jmp upped their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $112.00 to $134.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $90.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Monday, January 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.28.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Price Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average of $94.24 and a 200 day moving average of $82.52. The company has a current ratio of 4.30, a quick ratio of 3.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The firm has a market cap of $15.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 685.13 and a beta of 1.09.

Insider Activity at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In other news, SVP Marie Mendoza sold 1,676 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.18, for a total transaction of $201,421.68. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 63,393 shares in the company, valued at $7,618,570.74. The trade was a 2.58% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Steven S. Fendley sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.97, for a total value of $755,790.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 341,631 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $36,885,899.07. The trade was a 2.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 916,815 shares of company stock valued at $75,023,021 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 2.37% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 29.6% in the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,086,494 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $236,268,000 after purchasing an additional 1,162,577 shares during the period. ARK Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 22.2% in the 2nd quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 4,507,692 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $209,382,000 after purchasing an additional 818,104 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,446,230 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $337,565,000 after purchasing an additional 148,622 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.9% in 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. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 29.5% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,068,863 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $280,402,000 after buying an additional 698,778 shares during the period. 75.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.