Salem Investment Counselors Inc. Acquires 4,300 Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS

Key Points

• Salem Investment Counselors Inc. increased its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 4,300 shares, boosting its stake by 47.9% during Q2, with the total worth reaching approximately $617,000.
• Kratos reported $351.5 million in revenue and $0.11 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding analyst expectations and showing a 17.1% year-over-year revenue growth.
• Institutional investors now own 75.92% of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions' stock, reflecting strong interest in the company among large financial players.

Salem Investment Counselors Inc. grew its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS - Free Report) by 47.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,275 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,300 shares during the quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc.'s holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions were worth $617,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the first quarter worth $594,000. Corebridge Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 5.2% during the first quarter. Corebridge Financial Inc. now owns 77,422 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $2,299,000 after purchasing an additional 3,860 shares in the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System bought a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the first quarter valued at $1,407,000. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund bought a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the first quarter valued at $1,039,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 2.0% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,221,860 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $36,277,000 after purchasing an additional 24,455 shares in the last quarter. 75.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Performance

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock traded up $5.61 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $76.35. 5,312,659 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,682,091. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.89 billion, a PE ratio of 763.58 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 4.43 and a quick ratio of 3.88. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 12-month low of $22.17 and a 12-month high of $76.62. The business's 50-day moving average is $62.23 and its 200-day moving average is $44.60.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The aerospace company reported $0.11 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $351.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $305.67 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 3.10% and a net margin of 1.20%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 17.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.14 earnings per share. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KTOS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, June 30th. B. Riley reaffirmed 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. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $52.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, June 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $50.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $57.64.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, insider Stacey G. Rock sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.19, for a total value of $256,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 38,128 shares in the company, valued at $2,447,436.32. This represents a 9.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Thomas E. Iv Mills sold 5,758 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.54, for a total value of $377,379.32. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 9,692 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $635,213.68. The trade was a 37.27% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 63,758 shares of company stock valued at $3,797,229. 2.37% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions 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.