JPMorgan Chase & Co. Boosts Holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS

JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) by 93.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 964,973 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 465,100 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned approximately 0.57% of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions worth $88,170,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Rovida Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the second quarter worth about $82,315,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 29.6% in the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,086,494 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $236,268,000 after acquiring an additional 1,162,577 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 29.1% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,370,085 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $110,090,000 after purchasing an additional 533,912 shares in the last quarter. Seven Grand Managers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 2nd quarter valued at $23,225,000. Finally, Sapient Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 3rd quarter valued at $41,401,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on KTOS. JonesTrading assumed coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Monday, January 5th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Citizens Jmp raised their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Monday, January 12th. B. Riley Financial upped their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $105.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Piper Sandler initiated coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $99.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $93.83.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat: Kratos reported Q4 revenue of $345.1M (up 21.9% YoY) and non‑GAAP EPS above Street estimates, driven by Government Solutions strength — a clear near‑term revenue beat that validates current demand for its unmanned and defense businesses. Kratos Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Large program wins and program participation: Kratos and GE won a $12.4M Air Force award to design the GEK1500 engine for expendable combat collaborative aircraft; Kratos also has recent Pentagon awards (hypersonics testing) and Drone Dominance Program involvement — these reinforce multi‑year growth opportunities. Air Force Award / GEK1500 engine
• Positive Sentiment: Full‑year outlook: Kratos issued FY2026 revenue guidance of $1.6B–$1.7B (consistent to slightly above consensus), signaling management expects continued mid‑to‑high‑teens/low‑20s percent top‑line growth over the year. FY2026 guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst mix: Street sentiment remains largely positive with many Buy ratings and high targets, but UBS initiated coverage with a Neutral view saying growth is largely reflected in the valuation — a reminder that expectations are elevated. UBS initiation / analyst notes
• Negative Sentiment: Weak near‑term guide: Q1 revenue guidance of $335M–$345M came in just below consensus and management warned a potential federal government shutdown could dent Q1 execution — the soft near‑term guide was a key driver of the intraday sell‑off. MarketWatch: shutdown denting Q1
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and GAAP vs. non‑GAAP noise: Public filings and third‑party trackers show heavy insider selling in recent months; some outlets highlighted a much lower GAAP EPS print vs. the company’s non‑GAAP EPS, which can spook investors used to headline beats. QuiverQuant: insider sales / GAAP details

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, Director Scott I. Anderson sold 15,401 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.51, for a total transaction of $1,147,528.51. Following the sale, the director owned 66,334 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,942,546.34. The trade was a 18.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Stacey G. Rock sold 16,568 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the insider directly owned 26,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,092,092.38. The trade was a 38.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 881,907 shares of company stock worth $72,664,183 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 2.37% of the company’s stock.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Trading Down 1.8%

KTOS stock opened at $94.31 on Tuesday. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 12-month low of $23.90 and a 12-month high of $134.00. The business’s 50-day moving average is $96.78 and its 200 day moving average is $84.65. The company has a current ratio of 4.30, a quick ratio of 3.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The stock has a market cap of $16.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 725.52 and a beta of 1.09.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The aerospace company reported $0.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $345.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $327.51 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 3.14% and a net margin of 1.56%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 21.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.13 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 EPS 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.