M&T Bank Corp Buys 174,305 Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS

Key Points

• M&T Bank Corp boosted its stake in Kratos by 6,900.4% in Q4, buying 174,305 shares to hold 176,831 shares valued at about $13.42 million (roughly 0.10% of the company).
• Kratos beat Q4 estimates, reporting $0.18 EPS versus $0.14 expected and revenue of $345.1 million (up 21.9% year-over-year); analysts expect $0.57 EPS for the current year.
• Insiders have been net sellers—174,027 shares (~$14.7M) sold in the last three months—while institutional investors own about 75.9% of the stock and insiders hold roughly 1.5%.

M&T Bank Corp lifted its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS - Free Report) by 6,900.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 176,831 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 174,305 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp owned 0.10% of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions worth $13,423,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Caitlin John LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 193.5% in the 3rd quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 408 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 269 shares during the period. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. bought a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. 75.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Down 4.5%

KTOS stock opened at $65.52 on Friday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $12.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 504.04 and a beta of 1.22. The business's fifty day moving average price is $81.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $86.50. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $32.62 and a fifty-two week high of $134.00.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 23rd. The aerospace company reported $0.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.04. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 3.34% and a net margin of 1.63%.The firm had revenue of $345.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $327.51 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.13 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 21.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In other news, Director William A. Hoglund sold 30,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.19, for a total transaction of $2,171,295.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 252,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,975,475. This trade represents a 10.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP De Burgreen Maria Cervantes sold 6,270 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.29, for a total transaction of $559,848.30. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 59,369 shares in the company, valued at $5,301,058.01. This represents a 9.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 174,027 shares of company stock valued at $14,717,080. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KTOS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Truist Financial set a $135.00 price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $99.00 price target on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company 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 note on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $79.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $98.28.

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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