Appleton Partners Inc. MA Purchases Shares of 136,863 Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS

Appleton Partners Inc. MA acquired a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 136,863 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,505,000. Appleton Partners Inc. MA owned 0.08% of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of KTOS. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 29.6% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,086,494 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $236,268,000 after buying an additional 1,162,577 shares during the period. ARK Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 22.2% during the 2nd quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 4,507,692 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $209,382,000 after acquiring an additional 818,104 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 8.3% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,949,763 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $183,490,000 after purchasing an additional 301,135 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 18.1% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,837,005 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $131,779,000 after purchasing an additional 434,561 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hood River Capital Management LLC raised its position in 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 valued at $127,990,000 after purchasing an additional 324,140 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of KTOS opened at $94.41 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.94 billion, a PE ratio of 726.29 and a beta of 1.09. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $92.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $81.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 4.30 and a quick ratio of 3.68. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 12-month low of $23.90 and a 12-month high of $134.00.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.02. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a net margin of 1.56% and a return on equity of 3.14%. The company had revenue of $347.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $323.01 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.11 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 26.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $99.00 target price for the company. Jones Trading assumed coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Monday, January 5th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. BNP Paribas Exane set a $80.00 price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $112.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.28.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider David M. Carter sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.40, for a total transaction of $349,600.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 77,826 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,801,992.40. This represents a 4.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Marie Mendoza sold 1,676 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.18, for a total value of $201,421.68. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 63,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,618,570.74. This represents a 2.58% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 916,815 shares of company stock valued at $75,023,021 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 2.37% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

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

• Positive Sentiment: Taiwan partnership and drone production ramp — Kratos and Taiwan’s military successfully tested a jet-powered attack drone aimed at rapidly fielding low-cost, attritable aircraft, a material international contract/partnership that supports near-term production and revenue growth. Taiwan teams with US firm Kratos to build attack drones to counter China
• Positive Sentiment: Successful integrated Mighty Hornet IV test — Kratos and NCSIST validated the integrated Mighty Hornet IV system, reinforcing international demand for Kratos’ attritable and integrated drone/weapon solutions. This demonstrates exportable tech and program traction. Kratos, NCSIST Team Successfully Test Integrated Mighty Hornet IV System
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/market coverage turning favorable — Coverage notes (Zacks, MarketBeat) highlight strong recent share gains, contract wins, hypersonics expansion and rising price targets from major brokers, which supports investor appetite and higher upside expectations. KTOS Stock Rises 17.7% in 3 Months
• Neutral Sentiment: Training and simulation wins noted — Coverage (Yahoo/Business Insider) flags Kratos’ training and simulation contracts as potential durable edges, but these are longer-duration revenue streams and less immediately accretive than production contracts. Do Kratos (KTOS) Training Wins Hint At A Durable Edge In Defense Simulation?
• Neutral Sentiment: Momentum / thematic coverage — MarketBeat and others include KTOS in lists of high-risk/high-reward defense stocks that outperformed in 2025; useful for sentiment but not a direct operational catalyst. Earnings scheduled late February remain the next major event. 3 High-Risk Stocks That Soared in 2025 But Can Still Fly Higher (KTOS)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — CFO Deanna Lund sold 5,000 shares (~$484k) and insider David M. Carter sold 4,000 shares (~$350k) in early Feb. Multiple insider sales can weigh on sentiment even as executives retain substantial positions. SEC filing for Carter’s sale: SEC filing: Carter sale SEC filing: Lund sale

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.