David Carter Sells 4,000 Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Stock

Key Points

• Insider selling: David Carter sold 4,000 KTOS shares on March 5 at an average of $85.36 for $341,440, reducing his stake to 81,964 shares (a 4.65% cut); CFO Deanna Lund and another insider also disclosed sales totaling roughly 10k+ shares, a near‑term negative signal for some investors.
• Earnings and growth drivers: Kratos beat quarterly expectations with $0.18 EPS (vs. $0.14 est.) and $345.1M revenue (up 21.9% YoY), while completing the Orbit Technologies acquisition and winning new unmanned/space contracts that support revenue visibility.
• Market sentiment & risks: KTOS traded up to $87 on heavy volume and carries substantial analyst support (consensus "Moderate Buy", avg target ~$98.28), but it also has a very high P/E (~669), recent equity dilution risk, and notable price volatility.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) insider David Carter sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.36, for a total value of $341,440.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 81,964 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,996,447.04. This trade represents a 4.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of KTOS stock traded up $1.46 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $87.00. 5,375,888 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,637,359. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 1 year low of $25.78 and a 1 year high of $134.00. The company has a current ratio of 4.06, a quick ratio of 3.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The stock has a market cap of $16.25 billion, a PE ratio of 669.28 and a beta of 1.12. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $98.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $85.73.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The aerospace company reported $0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.04. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a net margin of 1.63% and a return on equity of 3.34%. The business had revenue of $345.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $327.51 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.13 EPS. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions's revenue for the quarter was up 21.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 EPS for the current year.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Kratos completed the cash acquisition of Israeli firm Orbit Technologies, adding capabilities and personnel that support its unmanned systems and satellite communications strategy. Kratos Defense Completes Cash Acquisition of Orbit Technologies
• Positive Sentiment: Kratos won a multi‑million dollar production contract for a Counter‑UAS system and confirmed its OpenSpace platform is deployed in SSC Space’s Space Go LEO service — tangible revenue/visibility drivers for its unmanned and space businesses. Kratos Defense Weighs New Contracts Equity Raise And OpenSpace Growth Potential
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and media lists continue to highlight KTOS as a defense/drone play; several firms maintain buy/overweight views and some raised targets recently, supporting demand from retail and institutional momentum. MarketBeat KTOS Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: The company completed a major follow‑on equity offering to fund expansion and M&A — this provides firepower for growth but introduces dilution risk investors must price in. Equity Offering and Growth Plans
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: CFO Deanna Lund and another insider disclosed sales totaling ~10k+ shares in early March, which some investors view as a near‑term negative signal. Deanna Lund Sells 5,000 Shares
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and volatility risks: KTOS trades at a very high P/E and has shown wide price swings over the past year, raising the risk that momentum reverses if execution or macro tailwinds fade. KTOS Valuation and Metrics

Institutional Trading of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of KTOS. Greenleaf Trust lifted its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 3,830 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $291,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. LVW Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. LVW Advisors LLC now owns 3,665 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $278,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co increased its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,698 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $129,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 5,918 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $449,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,945 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $148,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. 75.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KTOS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $112.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $90.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. JonesTrading assumed coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Monday, January 5th. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Finally, Citizens Jmp upped their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $98.28.

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.

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