Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS Shares Purchased by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) by 65.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 714,083 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 281,811 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions were worth $54,206,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KTOS. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 22.6% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 190,481 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $5,655,000 after purchasing an additional 35,098 shares in the last quarter. Amundi acquired a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 1st quarter valued at $791,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in 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 valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 515 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 2,286 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 41,265 shares in the last quarter. 75.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $93.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $112.00 to $134.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $100.00 to $80.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Noble Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $96.56.

Insider Activity at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In related news, insider Stacey G. Rock sold 4,000 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.03, for a total value of $244,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 17,897 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,092,253.91. This trade represents a 18.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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 Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.64, for a total value of $431,480.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 351,039 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,638,043.96. This trade represents a 1.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 173,027 shares of company stock valued at $13,754,040. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Kratos reported Q1 revenue of $371 million and adjusted EPS of $0.16, both ahead of expectations, while also lifting full-year fiscal 2026 guidance. The company highlighted 22.6% revenue growth, a record backlog of $2 billion, and a 1.6x book-to-bill ratio, all of which support the stock. Article: Kratos Reports First Quarter 2026 Financial Results and Increases Fiscal FY26 Financial Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: The company also announced Odon, Indiana as the home of its new hypersonic test facility, a long-duration investment that could expand Kratos’ role in U.S. defense infrastructure and hypersonic materials development. Article: Kratos Names Odon, Indiana as Home of New Hypersonic Test Facility
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary remains constructive despite some lower targets: Citizens JMP kept an outperform-style view and still sees substantial upside, while BTIG maintained a buy rating after reducing its target.
• Neutral Sentiment: Piper Sandler and BNP Paribas Exane both lowered price targets, but neither changed the broader investment thesis materially, suggesting valuation concerns rather than a major change in business momentum.
• Negative Sentiment: Kratos’ CFO sold about $310,500 in stock, which may add some caution for investors watching insider activity. Article: Insider Selling: Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) CFO Sells $310,500.00 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Some coverage also noted that the company continues to burn cash, which helps explain why the stock may not have reacted even more strongly to the earnings beat.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock opened at $57.89 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $76.46 and a 200-day moving average of $84.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 5.63 and a quick ratio of 3.46. The company has a market capitalization of $10.86 billion, a PE ratio of 340.53 and a beta of 1.06. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 1-year low of $32.85 and a 1-year high of $134.00.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $371.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $345.00 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 2.82% and a net margin of 2.08%.The company’s revenue was up 22.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.12 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions 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.