Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS Stock Holdings Lowered by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Key Points

• Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group cut its stake in Kratos by 12.8% in Q4 and now holds 1,281,687 shares (about 0.76%) valued at roughly $97.3 million.
• Insiders sold 173,786 shares (~$15.3M) over the past three months — including notable sales by Steven S. Fendley and director William A. Hoglund — leaving insiders with about 1.50% ownership.
• Kratos beat Q4 EPS estimates ($0.18 vs. $0.14) with revenue up 21.9% to $345.1M; the stock trades around $73.55 (52-week range $31.48–$134) and carries a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating with an average price target of $98.28.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. reduced its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS - Free Report) by 12.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,281,687 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 188,133 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned 0.76% of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions worth $97,293,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Ritholtz Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $207,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $379,000. Spirepoint Private Client LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $302,000. Fiduciary Alliance LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 19,142 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,453,000 after acquiring an additional 671 shares during the period. Finally, Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 38.2% during the fourth quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,964 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $301,000 after acquiring an additional 1,095 shares during the period. 75.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of KTOS opened at $73.55 on Tuesday. The company's 50 day moving average price is $85.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $87.61. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 52 week low of $31.48 and a 52 week high of $134.00. The company has a market capitalization of $13.78 billion, a PE ratio of 565.81 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 3.46 and a current ratio of 4.06.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $345.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $327.51 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.13 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 21.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KTOS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Noble Financial restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $79.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. JonesTrading initiated coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Monday, January 5th. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $98.28.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Steven S. Fendley sold 7,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.57, for a total transaction of $647,990.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 334,648 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $30,978,365.36. The trade was a 2.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director William A. Hoglund sold 30,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.19, for a total transaction of $2,171,295.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 252,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,975,475. This represents a 10.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 173,786 shares of company stock valued at $15,310,486 in the last three months. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions 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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