Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS Shares Acquired by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Key Points

• Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, acquiring an additional 288,273 shares, resulting in ownership of approximately 1.35% of the company valued at $96.5 million.
• Kratos Defense & Security Solutions reported a 17.1% year-over-year revenue growth with earnings per share of $0.11 in its most recent quarterly results, surpassing analyst expectations.
• Analysts have given Kratos Defense & Security Solutions a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy", with price targets ranging from $65.00 to $105.00 set by various brokers following recent upgrades.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS - Free Report) by 16.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,077,879 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 288,273 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned about 1.35% of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions worth $96,517,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 1st quarter worth $30,000. Larson Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the first quarter valued at $30,000. Twin Tree Management LP acquired a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the first quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the first quarter valued at $38,000. 75.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:KTOS opened at $91.18 on Friday. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $22.69 and a fifty-two week high of $112.57. The company has a quick ratio of 3.88, a current ratio of 4.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $79.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $56.28. The company has a market cap of $15.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 911.89 and a beta of 1.12.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The aerospace company reported $0.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.02. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a net margin of 1.20% and a return on equity of 3.10%. The firm had revenue of $351.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $305.67 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.14 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 17.1% on a year-over-year basis. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. BTIG Research upgraded Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $80.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Noble Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $50.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Friday, July 18th. Finally, JMP Securities raised their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $70.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $77.36.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Phillip D. Carrai sold 6,000 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.90, for a total value of $581,400.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 252,041 shares in the company, valued at $24,422,772.90. The trade was a 2.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Deanna H. Lund sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.03, for a total value of $460,150.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 308,069 shares in the company, valued at $28,351,590.07. This represents a 1.60% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 85,716 shares of company stock worth $6,399,245. Corporate insiders own 2.37% of the company's stock.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Profile

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc engages in the provision of mission critical products, services and solutions for United States national security priorities. It operates through the Kratos Government Solutions (KGS) and Unmanned Systems (US) segments. The KGS segment consists of an aggregation of KGS operating segments, including microwave electronic products, space, satellite and cyber, training solutions.

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