Deanna Lund Sells 5,000 Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Stock

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) CFO Deanna Lund sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.85, for a total value of $264,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 285,405 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,083,654.25. This trade represents a 1.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:KTOS opened at $55.35 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 5.08 and a current ratio of 5.63. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 1 year low of $42.81 and a 1 year high of $134.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 325.59 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $56.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $77.67.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $371.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $345.00 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a net margin of 2.08% and a return on equity of 2.82%. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.12 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KTOS. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 245.2% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 601,674 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $45,673,000 after purchasing an additional 427,396 shares in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp raised its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 6,900.4% in the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 176,831 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $13,423,000 after purchasing an additional 174,305 shares in the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 435.1% during the 4th 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. Victory Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $21,013,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 93.0% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 964,973 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $88,170,000 after buying an additional 465,100 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Kratos Defense & Security Solutions this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kratos won an approximately $36 million sole-source contract for a new air defense missile system, adding a near-term revenue catalyst and reinforcing its position in defense modernization. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush upgraded Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (KTOS) to Strong Buy, which boosted investor confidence in the stock’s longer-term outlook. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Broader defense-sector enthusiasm, including renewed attention on drone and missile-defense names, has helped support sentiment in KTOS. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Insiders Steven Fendley, Deanna H. Lund, and Stacey Rock disclosed stock sales, but each transaction was made under pre-arranged 10b5-1 plans, making them less informative about operational prospects. Article Title

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $80.00 price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Sunday, May 10th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Citizens Jmp decreased their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $125.00 to $105.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $100.44.

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.