Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Trading Down 9.3% – Time to Sell?

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) dropped 9.3% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $64.37 and last traded at $65.28. Approximately 5,450,228 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 25% from the average daily volume of 4,359,953 shares. The stock had previously closed at $71.94.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KTOS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $112.00 to $134.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. JonesTrading assumed coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Monday, January 5th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of 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. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $99.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Noble Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $98.28.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 3.46 and a current ratio of 4.06. The company has a market cap of $12.68 billion, a PE ratio of 520.81 and a beta of 1.12. The business’s 50-day moving average is $92.50 and its 200 day moving average is $88.16.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The aerospace company reported $0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $345.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $327.51 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a net margin of 1.63% and a return on equity of 3.34%. The company’s revenue was up 21.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.13 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In other news, insider David M. Carter sold 8,123 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.40, for a total transaction of $856,164.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 81,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,623,406.40. This represents a 9.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Scott I. Anderson sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.11, for a total transaction of $1,336,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 51,334 shares in the company, valued at $4,574,372.74. This represents a 22.61% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 373,500 shares of company stock worth $34,826,678 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 2.37% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Greenleaf Trust boosted its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 3,830 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $291,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. LVW Advisors LLC raised its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. LVW Advisors LLC now owns 3,665 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $278,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co lifted its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,698 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $129,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 5,918 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $449,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,945 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $148,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.