Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Trading Down 3.4% – Here’s Why

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) was down 3.4% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $46.01 and last traded at $46.32. Approximately 5,271,716 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 21% from the average daily volume of 4,356,269 shares. The stock had previously closed at $47.95.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on KTOS. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Citizens Jmp decreased their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $125.00 to $105.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 8th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $80.00 price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Sunday, May 10th. Finally, BTIG Research reduced their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $115.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $101.35.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Down 3.4%

The company has a market capitalization of $8.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 272.47 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 5.08 and a current ratio of 5.63. The business’s 50 day moving average is $59.57 and its 200 day moving average is $78.98.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.03. The business 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 in the prior year, the business posted $0.12 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, insider Jonah Adelman sold 31,348 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.06, for a total transaction of $1,788,716.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 8,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $456,480. The trade was a 79.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Phillip D. Carrai sold 6,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.72, for a total value of $485,680.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 227,898 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,028,538.56. The trade was a 2.77% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 187,278 shares of company stock worth $11,731,048 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of KTOS. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,446,230 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $337,565,000 after buying an additional 148,622 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 3,311,095 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $251,345,000 after acquiring an additional 124,607 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 29.5% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,068,863 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $280,402,000 after acquiring an additional 698,778 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7.4% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,046,194 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $278,331,000 after acquiring an additional 209,189 shares during the period. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 1,389.0% during the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,707,776 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $247,409,000 after purchasing an additional 2,525,921 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

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.