TimesSquare Capital Management LLC Raises Position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS)

TimesSquare Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS - Free Report) by 20.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 715,640 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 123,650 shares during the period. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC owned about 0.47% of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions worth $21,247,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in KTOS. Rovida Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 4th quarter worth about $46,789,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,944,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 9,709.0% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 997,578 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $29,618,000 after acquiring an additional 987,408 shares during the period. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC grew its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 140.5% during the 4th quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 1,599,740 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $42,201,000 after acquiring an additional 934,455 shares during the period. Finally, Voya Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 435.3% during the 4th quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 943,638 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $24,893,000 after acquiring an additional 767,345 shares during the period. 75.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Price Performance

NASDAQ KTOS traded up $3.15 on Wednesday, hitting $54.27. The stock had a trading volume of 6,875,785 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,142,925. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 52-week low of $17.91 and a 52-week high of $54.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 2.26 and a current ratio of 2.84. The company has a market capitalization of $8.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 417.49 and a beta of 1.06. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $40.42 and a 200-day moving average of $34.16.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The aerospace company reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.03. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a net margin of 1.68% and a return on equity of 3.85%. The business had revenue of $302.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $292.25 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.11 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $60.00 target price for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $52.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, June 30th. Noble Financial reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Monday. Benchmark increased their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $54.00 price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $46.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Stacey G. Rock sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.43, for a total transaction of $181,720.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 46,243 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,100,819.49. This trade represents a 7.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Phillip D. Carrai sold 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.16, for a total transaction of $252,960.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 276,085 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,639,743.60. This trade represents a 2.13% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 143,572 shares of company stock worth $5,175,766. Company insiders own 2.37% of the company's stock.

About Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

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.