Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS Shares Purchased by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Key Points

• Principal Financial Group increased its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 48% in the first quarter, buying an additional 342,789 shares. The firm now owns 1,056,872 shares, valued at about $74.5 million.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on KTOS despite several price-target cuts. MarketBeat reports an average rating of “Moderate Buy” with an average target price of $101.29.
• Kratos reported better-than-expected first-quarter results, with EPS of $0.16 versus $0.13 expected and revenue of $371 million, up 22.6% year over year. However, the stock was trading down 5.5% and recently opened at $46.96, well below its 200-day moving average.

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS - Free Report) by 48.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,056,872 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 342,789 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.56% of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions worth $74,520,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in KTOS. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp lifted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7,600.0% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 385 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 380 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp increased its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 115.4% in the fourth quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp now owns 420 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the period. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.92% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citizens Jmp decreased their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $125.00 to $105.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $80.00 price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $100.00 to $89.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Wedbush started coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $85.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $100.00 to $80.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $101.29.

Insider Transactions at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, CFO Deanna H. Lund sold 5,000 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.10, for a total transaction of $310,500.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 295,200 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,331,920. The trade was a 1.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Phillip D. Carrai sold 6,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.13, for a total transaction of $338,845.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 221,550 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,549,401.50. This represents a 2.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 148,036 shares of company stock worth $8,455,857. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Trading Down 5.5%

KTOS stock opened at $46.96 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 5.63, a quick ratio of 5.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 12-month low of $46.01 and a 12-month high of $134.00. The stock has a market cap of $8.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 276.24 and a beta of 1.07. The business's 50-day moving average is $54.50 and its 200 day moving average is $75.97.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) last announced 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 business had revenue of $371.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $345.00 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 2.82% and a net margin of 2.08%.The business's revenue was up 22.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.12 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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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