Castleark Management LLC Reduces Position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS

Castleark Management LLC cut its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) by 15.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 152,904 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 28,050 shares during the period. Castleark Management LLC’s holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions were worth $11,607,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Caitlin John LLC purchased a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp boosted its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7,600.0% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 385 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 380 shares during the period. Accredited Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 193.5% in the 3rd quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 408 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 269 shares during the period. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp boosted its position 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 buying an additional 225 shares during the period. Finally, CI Investments Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 142.7% in the 3rd quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 432 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. 75.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Stacey G. Rock sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.47, for a total value of $261,880.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 13,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $909,771.12. This represents a 22.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Deanna H. Lund sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.74, for a total transaction of $318,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 290,161 shares in the company, valued at $18,494,862.14. This trade represents a 1.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 three months, insiders sold 217,564 shares of company stock worth $14,576,994. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KTOS has been the subject of several recent research reports. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $82.00 price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $99.00 to $82.00 in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane boosted their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $98.17.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Down 1.8%

NASDAQ:KTOS opened at $57.75 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $10.83 billion, a PE ratio of 339.71 and a beta of 1.04. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a twelve month low of $39.00 and a twelve month high of $134.00. The company has a current ratio of 5.63, a quick ratio of 5.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The company’s 50 day moving average is $62.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $80.13.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $371.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $345.00 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a net margin of 2.08% and a return on equity of 2.82%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.12 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.5 EPS 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.