Comerica Bank Increases Stock Holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS)

Comerica Bank lifted its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS - Free Report) by 7.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 126,501 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 8,234 shares during the quarter. Comerica Bank owned approximately 0.08% of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions worth $3,337,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Rovida Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,789,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 4th quarter valued at $28,944,000. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 140.5% in the 4th quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 1,599,740 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $42,201,000 after buying an additional 934,455 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 435.3% during the 4th quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 943,638 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $24,893,000 after buying an additional 767,345 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,719,508 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $388,301,000 after buying an additional 701,216 shares during the period. 75.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, CFO Deanna H. Lund sold 6,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.91, for a total value of $203,460.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 325,427 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,035,229.57. This represents a 1.81 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Stacey G. Rock sold 4,000 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.91, for a total transaction of $135,640.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 53,812 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,824,764.92. This trade represents a 6.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 87,168 shares of company stock worth $2,537,940 over the last three months. Company insiders own 2.37% of the company's stock.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:KTOS traded down $0.61 on Friday, hitting $33.61. 2,091,585 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,648,155. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 336.13 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a current ratio of 3.22, a quick ratio of 2.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 1-year low of $17.91 and a 1-year high of $36.85. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $31.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $29.26.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The aerospace company reported $0.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.03. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 3.68% and a net margin of 1.31%. The business had revenue of $302.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $292.25 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.11 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Benchmark raised their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $27.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. B. Riley upgraded Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $26.00 to $35.00 in a report on Monday, January 13th. JMP Securities reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $36.75.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Profile

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc engages in the provision of mission critical products, services and solutions for United States national security priorities. It operates through the Kratos Government Solutions (KGS) and Unmanned Systems (US) segments. The KGS segment consists of an aggregation of KGS operating segments, including microwave electronic products, space, satellite and cyber, training solutions.