Baillie Gifford & Co. Acquires 74,096 Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS

Key Points

• Baillie Gifford & Co. boosted its stake in Kratos by 35.5%, buying 74,096 shares to hold 282,562 shares (about 0.17% of the company) valued at roughly $21.45 million in the latest 13F filing.
• Kratos beat quarterly estimates with EPS of $0.18 (vs. $0.14) and revenue of $345.1M (+21.9% YoY); the stock trades near $73.55 with a $13.78B market cap and a consensus analyst rating of Moderate Buy (price target $98.28).
• Insiders sold 173,786 shares (about $15.31M) over the last quarter, while institutional investors own roughly 75.9% of the company and insiders hold about 1.5%.

Baillie Gifford & Co. boosted its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS - Free Report) by 35.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 282,562 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 74,096 shares during the period. Baillie Gifford & Co. owned approximately 0.17% of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions worth $21,449,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Amalgamated Bank increased its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 57.7% in the 3rd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 73,673 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $6,732,000 after buying an additional 26,946 shares during the period. Mission Wealth Management LP bought a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,828,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $21,013,000. Barclays PLC increased its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 16.3% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 413,514 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $37,783,000 after buying an additional 57,906 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 93.0% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 964,973 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $88,170,000 after buying an additional 465,100 shares during the period. 75.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:KTOS opened at $73.55 on Tuesday. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 1-year low of $31.48 and a 1-year high of $134.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.78 billion, a PE ratio of 565.81 and a beta of 1.22. The business's 50 day moving average is $85.32 and its 200-day moving average is $87.61. The company has a current ratio of 4.06, a quick ratio of 3.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KTOS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Noble Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price target on 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. Citizens Jmp lifted their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Citigroup reissued a "market outperform" rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, BTIG Research lifted their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $95.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $98.28.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Stacey G. Rock sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.78, for a total value of $307,120.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 21,777 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,672,038.06. The trade was a 15.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director William A. Hoglund sold 30,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.19, for a total value of $2,171,295.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 252,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,975,475. This represents a 10.78% 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 173,786 shares of company stock worth $15,310,486 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

About Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

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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