Clough Capital Partners L P Trims Stock Holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS

Key Points

• Clough Capital Partners trimmed its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 33.3%, selling 111,599 shares and leaving it with 224,001 shares worth about $20.47 million (≈1.8% of the firm's portfolio).
• Insiders and institutions are actively trading the stock: insiders sold a total of 579,731 shares (~$50.95M) in the last quarter while institutional ownership remains high at 75.92%, with firms like RBC and UBS increasing positions.
• KTOS is trading near $87.53 (down 2.2%), with a market cap of $16.35B and a very high P/E of 673; the company recently beat EPS and reported revenue up 21.9% YoY, and analysts hold a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $98.28 (some targets raised to as high as $130).

Clough Capital Partners L P reduced its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS - Free Report) by 33.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 224,001 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 111,599 shares during the quarter. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions comprises approximately 1.8% of Clough Capital Partners L P's portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Clough Capital Partners L P owned approximately 0.13% of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions worth $20,467,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. 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 valued at $5,655,000 after purchasing an additional 35,098 shares during the last quarter. Amundi purchased a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 1st quarter worth $791,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 64.4% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,315 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 515 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 178.0% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 3,570 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $108,000 after purchasing an additional 2,286 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 11.7% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 393,614 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $11,686,000 after buying an additional 41,265 shares during the last quarter. 75.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Trading Down 2.2%

NASDAQ:KTOS opened at $87.53 on Friday. 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 3.46 and a current ratio of 4.06. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $100.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $86.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 673.36 and a beta of 1.12.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 analyst estimates of $327.51 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.13 EPS. The business's revenue was up 21.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. KeyCorp raised their price target on 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 reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. BTIG Research lifted their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $95.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. BNP Paribas Exane set a $80.00 target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, Piper Sandler assumed coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. They set a "neutral" rating and a $99.00 price target for the company. One equities research 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.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $98.28.

Insider Activity

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, CFO Deanna H. Lund sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.28, for a total transaction of $456,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 270,058 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,650,894.24. This represents a 1.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Scot B. Jarvis sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.60, for a total transaction of $443,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 85,417 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,567,946.20. This trade represents a 5.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 579,731 shares of company stock valued at $50,949,306 in the last quarter. 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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