Arkadios Wealth Advisors Buys 5,804 Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS)

Key Points

• Arkadios Wealth Advisors increased its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 11.4%, acquiring an additional 5,804 shares, bringing total holdings to 56,640 shares valued at $1.68 million.
• Several institutional investors, including FMR LLC and Ameriprise Financial Inc., reduced their holdings in Kratos during the fourth quarter, with 75.92% of the stock currently owned by institutional investors.
• Analyst ratings for Kratos have been largely positive, with JMP Securities setting a target price of $70.00 and Goldman Sachs upgrading the stock to "buy" with a price target of $52.00.

Arkadios Wealth Advisors raised its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS - Free Report) by 11.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 56,640 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 5,804 shares during the quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors' holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions were worth $1,682,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the first quarter worth approximately $30,000. Aspect Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 1,900.0% during the first quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 1,000 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 950 shares during the period. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the first quarter worth approximately $30,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 202.3% during the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,046 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the period. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the first quarter worth approximately $38,000. 75.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Performance

NASDAQ:KTOS traded down $1.99 during trading on Friday, reaching $56.71. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,796,199 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,722,225. The firm has a market cap of $8.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 436.26 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 2.26 and a current ratio of 2.84. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $46.47 and a 200-day moving average of $36.76. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 12 month low of $17.91 and a 12 month high of $61.43.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The aerospace company reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $302.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $292.25 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 3.85% and a net margin of 1.68%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.11 EPS. Research analysts expect that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KTOS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Benchmark increased their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $38.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, June 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $38.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $50.08.

Insider Activity at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In other news, insider Phillip D. Carrai sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.73, for a total transaction of $202,380.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 282,084 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,514,693.32. This represents a 2.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Steven S. Fendley sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.37, for a total value of $515,550.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 384,492 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,214,990.04. The trade was a 3.75% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 145,572 shares of company stock worth $5,644,656 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 2.37% of the company's stock.

About Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

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.