Marietta Investment Partners LLC Acquires 9,354 Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS

Marietta Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) by 38.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 33,864 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,354 shares during the quarter. Marietta Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions were worth $2,388,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in KTOS. Ascentis Independent Advisors grew its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 19.5% during the first quarter. Ascentis Independent Advisors now owns 15,634 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,102,000 after purchasing an additional 2,546 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors lifted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 23.1% in the first quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 7,405 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $522,000 after buying an additional 1,390 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System lifted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 5.2% in the first quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 121,280 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $8,551,000 after buying an additional 5,955 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 1st quarter worth approximately $497,000. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 1st quarter worth approximately $4,508,000. Institutional investors own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Performance

KTOS opened at $55.35 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 5.63 and a quick ratio of 5.08. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $42.81 and a fifty-two week high of $134.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.38 billion, a PE ratio of 325.59 and a beta of 1.07. The company’s 50-day moving average is $56.64 and its 200 day moving average is $77.69.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $0.16 earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $345.00 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a net margin of 2.08% and a return on equity of 2.82%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.12 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Kratos won an approximately $36 million sole-source contract for a new air defense missile system, adding a near-term revenue catalyst and reinforcing its position in defense modernization. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush upgraded Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (KTOS) to Strong Buy, which boosted investor confidence in the stock’s longer-term outlook. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Broader defense-sector enthusiasm, including renewed attention on drone and missile-defense names, has helped support sentiment in KTOS. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Insiders Steven Fendley, Deanna H. Lund, and Stacey Rock disclosed stock sales, but each transaction was made under pre-arranged 10b5-1 plans, making them less informative about operational prospects. Article Title

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Steven S. Fendley sold 35,000 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.23, for a total transaction of $2,038,050.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 309,087 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,998,136.01. The trade was a 10.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Jonah Adelman sold 31,348 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.06, for a total value of $1,788,716.88. Following the sale, the insider owned 8,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $456,480. This trade represents a 79.67% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 161,453 shares of company stock valued at $9,561,063. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on KTOS shares. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $100.00 to $80.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Wedbush began coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $85.00 target price on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. BNP Paribas Exane lifted 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 research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Citizens Jmp dropped their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $125.00 to $105.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 8th. Four investment 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 data from MarketBeat.com, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $100.44.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions 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.