Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Hits New 1-Year Low Following Insider Selling

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) hit a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock traded as low as $45.42 and last traded at $45.8320, with a volume of 912007 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $48.64.

Specifically, insider Steven S. Fendley sold 7,000 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction on Monday, July 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.13, for a total transaction of $329,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 295,120 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,909,005.60. The trade was a 2.32% 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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. BTIG Research reduced their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $115.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Clear Str raised Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their target price on 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. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $99.00 to $75.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Tuesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $101.29.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Price Performance

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $52.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $73.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 271.59 and a beta of 1.07. 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 (NASDAQ:KTOS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.03. The company 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%. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.12 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7,600.0% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 385 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 380 shares during the period. Vision Retirement LLC increased its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 288.2% in the 1st quarter. Vision Retirement LLC now owns 427 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the second quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

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.