Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Shares Down 2.2% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) traded down 2.2% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $87.20 and last traded at $87.53. 2,746,469 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 39% from the average session volume of 4,515,286 shares. The stock had previously closed at $89.46.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KTOS has been the subject of several recent research reports. BNP Paribas Exane set a $80.00 price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. B. Riley Financial raised their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $105.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. BTIG Research upped their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $95.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One investment 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $98.28.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Trading Down 2.2%

The firm has a market cap of $16.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 673.36 and a beta of 1.12. The business’s 50 day moving average is $100.03 and its 200-day moving average is $86.42. The company has a quick ratio of 3.46, a current ratio of 4.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

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

Insider Activity at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In related news, Director Scott I. Anderson sold 15,401 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.51, for a total transaction of $1,147,528.51. Following the sale, the director directly owned 66,334 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,942,546.34. This represents a 18.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Stacey G. Rock sold 16,568 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.74, for a total value of $1,934,148.32. Following the transaction, the insider owned 26,487 shares in the company, valued at $3,092,092.38. This trade represents a 38.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 574,731 shares of company stock worth $50,506,306 over the last quarter. 2.37% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7,600.0% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 385 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 380 shares during the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the second quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

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.