Stephens Inc. AR Sells 35,635 Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS

Key Points

• Stephens Inc. AR reduced its KTOS stake by 10.5% in the first quarter, selling 35,635 shares and leaving it with 304,359 shares valued at about $21.46 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains bullish, with a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $100.44, despite some mixed target-price cuts from firms like BTIG and Citizens JMP.
• Kratos reported strong quarterly results, beating earnings and revenue expectations with EPS of $0.16 and revenue of $371 million, while revenue rose 22.6% year over year.

Stephens Inc. AR reduced its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS - Free Report) by 10.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 304,359 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 35,635 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR owned 0.16% of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions worth $21,460,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in KTOS. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp boosted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7,600.0% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 385 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 380 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp raised its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 115.4% in the fourth quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp now owns 420 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. 75.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. BTIG Research dropped their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $115.00 to $100.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Truist Financial raised Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Citizens Jmp cut their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $125.00 to $105.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $80.00 target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Sunday, May 10th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $100.44.

Trending Headlines about Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Here are the key news stories impacting Kratos Defense & Security Solutions this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kratos won an approximately $36 million sole-source contract for a new air defense missile system, adding a near-term revenue catalyst and reinforcing its position in defense modernization. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush upgraded Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (KTOS) to Strong Buy, which boosted investor confidence in the stock’s longer-term outlook. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Broader defense-sector enthusiasm, including renewed attention on drone and missile-defense names, has helped support sentiment in KTOS. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Insiders Steven Fendley, Deanna H. Lund, and Stacey Rock disclosed stock sales, but each transaction was made under pre-arranged 10b5-1 plans, making them less informative about operational prospects. Article Title

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of KTOS opened at $55.35 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $56.64 and a 200 day moving average of $77.69. The company has a market capitalization of $10.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 325.59 and a beta of 1.07. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 12 month low of $42.81 and a 12 month high of $134.00. The company has a current ratio of 5.63, a quick ratio of 5.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $371.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $345.00 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 2.82% and a net margin of 2.08%.The business's revenue was up 22.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.12 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, CFO Deanna H. Lund sold 5,000 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.85, for a total value of $264,250.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 285,405 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $15,083,654.25. The trade was a 1.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Steven S. Fendley sold 7,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.37, for a total transaction of $338,590.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 302,126 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,613,834.62. The trade was a 2.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 161,453 shares of company stock valued at $9,561,063 in the last three months. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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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