Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Cut to “Sell” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Thursday.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $37.00 to $32.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $27.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. B. Riley raised Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $26.00 to $35.00 in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, JMP Securities reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.13.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Price Performance

Shares of KTOS opened at $33.59 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $29.94 and a 200-day moving average of $28.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 3.22 and a quick ratio of 2.61. The company has a market capitalization of $5.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 335.93 and a beta of 1.01. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has a 1 year low of $17.76 and a 1 year high of $35.66.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, SVP Marie Mendoza sold 1,500 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.12, for a total value of $40,680.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 60,443 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,639,214.16. The trade was a 2.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Phillip D. Carrai sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.99, for a total value of $197,940.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 288,048 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,502,703.52. The trade was a 2.04 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 87,168 shares of company stock valued at $2,525,600. Corporate insiders own 2.37% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KTOS. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,719,508 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $388,301,000 after purchasing an additional 701,216 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,340,795 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $114,510,000 after buying an additional 307,907 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,130,109 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $82,576,000 after buying an additional 203,245 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 11.3% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,116,164 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $82,204,000 after acquiring an additional 317,305 shares during the period. Finally, Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 9.0% during the fourth quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,079,022 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $54,845,000 after acquiring an additional 172,030 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

About Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc engages in the provision of mission critical products, services and solutions for United States national security priorities. It operates through the Kratos Government Solutions (KGS) and Unmanned Systems (US) segments. The KGS segment consists of an aggregation of KGS operating segments, including microwave electronic products, space, satellite and cyber, training solutions.