Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Trading 1.4% Higher – Time to Buy?

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) shares rose 1.4% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $54.09 and last traded at $53.69. Approximately 2,128,912 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 52% from the average session volume of 4,399,459 shares. The stock had previously closed at $52.93.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KTOS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Citizens Jmp lowered their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $125.00 to $105.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $100.00 to $80.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $115.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $135.00 to $104.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $99.47.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Trading Down 3.1%

The company has a market capitalization of $9.76 billion, a PE ratio of 305.88 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $52.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $65.34. The company has a current ratio of 5.54, a quick ratio of 4.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $458.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $410.36 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 3.07% and a net margin of 2.03%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 30.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.11 EPS. Analysts predict that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.57 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, insider Steven S. Fendley sold 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.16, for a total value of $393,120.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 288,111 shares in the company, valued at $16,180,313.76. The trade was a 2.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Phillip D. Carrai sold 26,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.25, for a total transaction of $1,676,125.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 182,084 shares in the company, valued at $11,516,813. The trade was a 12.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 433,688 shares of company stock valued at $26,990,882 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KTOS. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 435.1% in the fourth quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 43,011 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $3,265,000 after buying an additional 34,973 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 245.2% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 601,674 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $45,673,000 after buying an additional 427,396 shares in the last quarter. Paradigm Capital Management Inc. NY purchased a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 2nd quarter worth about $34,842,000. Bamco Inc. NY purchased a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 2nd quarter worth about $53,746,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 65.2% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 714,083 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $54,206,000 after acquiring an additional 281,811 shares in the last quarter. 75.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.