Emerald Advisers LLC Has $58.94 Million Stock Holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS

Key Points

• Emerald Advisers LLC trimmed its Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stake by 4.5% in the first quarter, but still held 835,929 shares worth about $58.9 million, making KTOS its 6th-largest position.
• Other institutional investors were also active in KTOS, with some adding to positions and institutional ownership remaining high at 75.92% of shares outstanding.
• Kratos has seen mixed sentiment from insiders and analysts: insiders sold shares in recent months, while analysts still broadly rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $103.41.

Emerald Advisers LLC trimmed its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS - Free Report) by 4.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 835,929 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 39,134 shares during the quarter. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions accounts for 1.9% of Emerald Advisers LLC's holdings, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Emerald Advisers LLC owned about 0.45% of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions worth $58,941,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in KTOS. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 22.6% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 190,481 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $5,655,000 after acquiring an additional 35,098 shares during the period. Amundi purchased a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 1st quarter valued at about $791,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 64.4% during the 1st 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 raised its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $108,000 after purchasing an additional 2,286 shares in the last quarter. 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 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 valued at $11,686,000 after purchasing an additional 41,265 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.92% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In related news, insider Phillip D. Carrai sold 6,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.13, for a total transaction of $338,845.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 221,550 shares in the company, valued at $11,549,401.50. The trade was a 2.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Scot B. Jarvis sold 5,417 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.90, for a total value of $411,150.30. Following the transaction, the director owned 75,123 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,701,835.70. This trade represents a 6.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 161,453 shares of company stock valued at $9,466,223. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on KTOS shares. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $100.00 to $80.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Truist Financial upgraded Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Clear Str upgraded Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $99.00 to $75.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $99.00 to $82.00 in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $103.41.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Down 2.6%

Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock opened at $46.96 on Tuesday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $55.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $76.60. The company has a quick ratio of 5.08, a current ratio of 5.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 52-week low of $46.01 and a 52-week high of $134.00. The company has a market cap of $8.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 276.24 and a beta of 1.07.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $371.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $345.00 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a net margin of 2.08% and a return on equity of 2.82%. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions's revenue for the quarter was up 22.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.12 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Kratos Defense & Security Solutions this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kratos announced an approximate $100 million sole-source prime contract to produce a ground-based modular space domain awareness system, reinforcing demand for its national security and space surveillance offerings. Kratos Receives Approximate $100 Million Sole Source Prime Space Domain Awareness System Program Award
• Positive Sentiment: The award is notable because it is sole-source, suggesting Kratos secured the work without direct competition and may be seeing stronger traction in specialized defense programs. Kratos Receives Approximate $100 Million Sole Source Prime Space Domain Awareness System Program Award
• Neutral Sentiment: Kratos was also mentioned in broader articles about defense stocks benefiting from NATO spending and about mid-cap names to watch, but those pieces are sector-level commentary rather than company-specific catalysts. $50 Billion Is About to Flood Into Defense Stocks: Here’s Who Cashes In
• Negative Sentiment: Some recent coverage pointed to insider selling as a possible reason for weakness in KTOS shares, which may be weighing on sentiment even as the contract news offsets it. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions NASDAQ: KTOS Trading Down 1.4% After Insider Selling

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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