Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS Stake Lessened by Portolan Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Portolan Capital cut its stake by 55.1% in Q3, selling 732,317 shares and ending the quarter with 596,106 shares of KTOS (making Kratos ~2.9% of Portolan’s portfolio and representing a 0.35% ownership of Kratos valued at about $54.47 million).
• Significant insider selling: insiders have sold 579,731 shares in the past 90 days worth roughly $50.95 million (notable sales by Stacey G. Rock and director Scott I. Anderson), and insiders now own 2.37% of the company.
• Analysts remain mostly positive with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target of $98.28, while several firms recently raised price targets (e.g., Goldman Sachs to $125 and Stifel to $134).

Portolan Capital Management LLC lessened its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS - Free Report) by 55.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 596,106 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 732,317 shares during the period. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions comprises about 2.9% of Portolan Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Portolan Capital Management LLC owned 0.35% of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions worth $54,466,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Caitlin John LLC acquired a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Whittier Trust Co. purchased a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 193.5% during the third quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 408 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 269 shares during the period. Finally, CI Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 142.7% during the third quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 432 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.92% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, insider Stacey G. Rock sold 16,568 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.74, for a total transaction of $1,934,148.32. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 26,487 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,092,092.38. The trade was a 38.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Scott I. Anderson sold 15,401 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.51, for a total transaction of $1,147,528.51. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 66,334 shares in the company, valued at $4,942,546.34. The trade was a 18.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 579,731 shares of company stock worth $50,949,306. Insiders own 2.37% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on KTOS. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price 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. BTIG Research boosted their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $95.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Citigroup restated a "market outperform" rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $112.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane set a $80.00 price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $98.28.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Price Performance

KTOS stock opened at $87.53 on Friday. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 1 year low of $25.78 and a 1 year high of $134.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 4.06 and a quick ratio of 3.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.35 billion, a PE ratio of 673.36 and a beta of 1.12. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $100.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $86.57.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 23rd. The aerospace company reported $0.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $345.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $327.51 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 3.34% and a net margin of 1.63%.The firm's revenue was up 21.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.13 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Company Profile

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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