BNP Paribas Financial Markets Has $45.67 Million Stock Holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS

Key Points

• BNP Paribas Financial Markets sharply increased its Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stake by 245.2% in the fourth quarter, ending with 601,674 shares worth about $45.67 million.
• Kratos reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, posting $0.16 EPS versus the $0.13 estimate and $371 million in revenue, with sales up 22.6% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $96.28, though recent insider transactions included notable share sales by executives.

BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS - Free Report) by 245.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 601,674 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 427,396 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned about 0.36% of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions worth $45,673,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 22.6% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 190,481 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $5,655,000 after purchasing an additional 35,098 shares during the last quarter. Amundi bought a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 1st quarter worth approximately $791,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 64.4% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,315 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 515 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 178.0% in the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 3,570 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $108,000 after purchasing an additional 2,286 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 11.7% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 393,614 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $11,686,000 after purchasing an additional 41,265 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.92% of the company's stock.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Trading Down 0.3%

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock opened at $63.27 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $65.33 and a 200-day moving average of $80.97. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a one year low of $37.90 and a one year high of $134.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 5.63 and a quick ratio of 5.08. The company has a market cap of $11.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 372.18 and a beta of 1.04.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $371.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $345.00 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a net margin of 2.08% and a return on equity of 2.82%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 22.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.12 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KTOS has been the subject of several recent research reports. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $82.00 target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $80.00 price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Sunday, May 10th. Truist Financial raised shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Clear Str raised shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $100.00 to $80.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $96.28.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Marie Mendoza sold 1,013 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.49, for a total value of $54,185.37. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 65,996 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,530,126.04. This represents a 1.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Jonah Adelman sold 31,348 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.06, for a total transaction of $1,788,716.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 8,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $456,480. The trade was a 79.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 188,630 shares of company stock worth $13,301,792 in the last 90 days. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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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