Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS Shares Acquired by Barclays PLC

Key Points

• Barclays PLC increased its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) by 16.3% in Q3 to 413,514 shares, worth about $37.78 million, and institutional investors now own 75.92% of the stock.
• Company insiders have been net sellers — CEO Eric M. DeMarco sold 200,000 shares in December and insiders sold 574,731 shares worth about $50.5 million over the past 90 days, leaving insiders with 2.37% ownership.
• Kratos beat its latest quarterly estimates (EPS $0.18 vs. $0.14 expected; revenue $345.1M, up 21.9% y/y), and Wall Street consensus rates the stock a “Moderate Buy” with a consensus price target of $98.28.

Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS - Free Report) by 16.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 413,514 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 57,906 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned 0.24% of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions worth $37,783,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 15.2% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,515 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas increased its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 15.7% during the 3rd quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 1,660 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $152,000 after buying an additional 225 shares during the period. MRP Capital Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 11.1% in the 2nd quarter. MRP Capital Investments LLC now owns 2,500 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $116,000 after buying an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. CI Investments Inc. boosted its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 142.7% in the 3rd quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 432 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 193.5% in the 3rd quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 408 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 269 shares during the last quarter. 75.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Down 3.8%

KTOS stock opened at $88.96 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $16.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 684.36 and a beta of 1.12. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 1-year low of $25.78 and a 1-year high of $134.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $99.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $86.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 4.06 and a quick ratio of 3.46.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The aerospace company reported $0.18 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $345.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $327.51 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.13 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 21.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on KTOS. BNP Paribas Exane set a $80.00 price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $93.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $98.28.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, CEO Eric M. Demarco sold 200,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.53, for a total value of $16,106,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 796,237 shares in the company, valued at approximately $64,120,965.61. This trade represents a 20.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider David M. Carter sold 8,123 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.40, for a total transaction of $856,164.20. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 81,816 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,623,406.40. This trade represents a 9.03% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 574,731 shares of company stock worth $50,506,306. 2.37% of the stock is owned by company 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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