Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Shares Gap Up Following Analyst Upgrade

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Monday after Jefferies Financial Group upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a buy rating. The stock had previously closed at $67.31, but opened at $71.13. Jefferies Financial Group now has a $85.00 price target on the stock. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions shares last traded at $72.25, with a volume of 1,052,600 shares changing hands.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Citizens Jmp upped their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $93.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. 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. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $98.28.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director William A. Hoglund sold 30,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.19, for a total value of $2,171,295.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 252,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,975,475. This represents a 10.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Steven S. Fendley sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.59, for a total transaction of $487,130.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 358,023 shares in the company, valued at $24,914,820.57. This trade represents a 1.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 402,699 shares of company stock valued at $36,696,613. 2.37% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 22.6% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 190,481 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $5,655,000 after buying an additional 35,098 shares in the last quarter. Amundi acquired a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 1st quarter worth approximately $791,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 64.4% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,315 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 515 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 178.0% in the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 3,570 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $108,000 after acquiring an additional 2,286 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 11.7% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 393,614 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $11,686,000 after acquiring an additional 41,265 shares during the last quarter. 75.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 4.06, a quick ratio of 3.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 556.66 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a 50-day moving average of $89.65 and a 200-day moving average of $88.02.

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

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.