Northern Trust Corp Sells 56,522 Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS

Key Points

• Northern Trust Corp reduced its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.1%, selling 56,522 shares and owning 1,741,817 shares worth approximately $51.7 million.
• Analyst ratings for the stock are mixed, with Truist Financial raising its price target to $52.00, while Wall Street Zen downgraded it to a "sell," reflecting divergent views on its performance.
• In recent insider activity, CFO Deanna H. Lund sold 6,567 shares for about $247,904, which marks a 2.02% decrease in her holdings, amid a total of 82,986 shares sold by insiders worth over $4 million in the last 90 days.

Northern Trust Corp reduced its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS - Free Report) by 3.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,741,817 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 56,522 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned 1.14% of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions worth $51,715,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 1st quarter worth $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 1st quarter worth $30,000. Aspect Partners LLC raised its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 1,900.0% during the 1st quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 1,000 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 950 shares during the last quarter. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 1st quarter worth $30,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 202.3% during the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,046 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. 75.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, CFO Deanna H. Lund sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.10, for a total value of $325,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 313,327 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,397,587.70. This trade represents a 1.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Steven S. Fendley sold 7,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.58, for a total transaction of $473,060.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 346,441 shares in the company, valued at $23,412,482.78. This trade represents a 1.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 72,986 shares of company stock valued at $3,792,398. 2.37% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Down 3.9%

KTOS traded down $2.67 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $65.84. The company had a trading volume of 2,393,116 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,725,429. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 52 week low of $20.83 and a 52 week high of $72.70. 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 company has a market capitalization of $11.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 658.47 and a beta of 1.05. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $56.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $41.30.

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 for the quarter, beating 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 the consensus estimate of $305.67 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.14 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 17.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KTOS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. JMP Securities set a $70.00 price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Friday, August 8th. Benchmark increased their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, B. Riley reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $72.00 price target (up from $55.00) on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Monday, August 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $57.64.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Company 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.