Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) Short Interest Update

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 9,127,940 shares, an increase of 18.4% from the February 26th total of 7,708,615 shares. Approximately 5.0% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 5,667,117 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.6 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KTOS has been the subject of several research reports. Citizens Jmp increased their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $112.00 to $134.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $93.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $98.28.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Up 8.0%

KTOS traded up $5.23 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $70.51. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 6,098,742 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,004,179. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has a 1 year low of $25.78 and a 1 year high of $134.00. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $92.50 and its 200-day moving average is $88.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 542.43 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a current ratio of 4.06, a quick ratio of 3.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The aerospace company reported $0.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $345.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $327.51 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 3.34% and a net margin of 1.63%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.13 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions will post 0.31 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Eric M. Demarco sold 191,699 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.28, for a total transaction of $17,306,585.72. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 687,117 shares in the company, valued at $62,032,922.76. The trade was a 21.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Stacey G. Rock sold 16,568 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.74, for a total transaction of $1,934,148.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 26,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,092,092.38. The trade was a 38.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 373,500 shares of company stock worth $34,826,678. Company insiders own 2.37% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,446,230 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $337,565,000 after purchasing an additional 148,622 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 3,311,095 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $251,345,000 after purchasing an additional 124,607 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 29.5% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,068,863 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $280,402,000 after buying an additional 698,778 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7.4% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,046,194 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $278,331,000 after buying an additional 209,189 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hood River Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 13.3% in the second quarter. Hood River Capital Management LLC now owns 2,755,446 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $127,990,000 after buying an additional 324,140 shares in the last quarter. 75.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

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.