229,975 Shares in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS Purchased by Victory Capital Management Inc.

Key Points

• Victory Capital Management opened a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ: KTOS), acquiring 229,975 shares worth about $21.0 million, representing roughly 0.14% of the company.
• Analysts are broadly positive with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $98.28, while several firms raised targets recently (e.g., Goldman Sachs to $125 and Truist to $135).
• Kratos reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results (EPS $0.18 vs. $0.14 est.; revenue $345.1M, up 21.9% YoY), but insiders sold a large amount of stock — 574,731 shares (~$50.5M) over the past three months.

Victory Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 229,975 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $21,013,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned about 0.14% of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Caitlin John LLC bought a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the third quarter worth $32,000. Whittier Trust Co. purchased a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the third quarter worth $38,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 193.5% during the third quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 408 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 269 shares during the period. Finally, CI Investments Inc. increased its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 142.7% during the third quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 432 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. 75.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KTOS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Truist Financial set a $135.00 target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Friday, January 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $93.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. BNP Paribas Exane set a $80.00 price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, Piper Sandler initiated coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. They set a "neutral" rating and a $99.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $98.28.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Up 6.3%

Shares of KTOS opened at $92.47 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $99.24 and a 200-day moving average price of $86.23. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $17.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 711.36 and a beta of 1.12. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 12-month low of $25.78 and a 12-month high of $134.00.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The aerospace company reported $0.18 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $345.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $327.51 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.13 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 21.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In other news, Director Scott I. Anderson sold 15,401 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director owned 66,334 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,942,546.34. This trade represents a 18.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Thomas E. Iv Mills sold 8,523 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.98, for a total transaction of $792,468.54. Following the transaction, the insider owned 9,802 shares in the company, valued at approximately $911,389.96. The trade was a 46.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 574,731 shares of company stock worth $50,506,306 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 2.37% 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.

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