Vanguard Group Inc. Has $1.25 Billion Stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS

Key Points

• Vanguard Group trimmed its Q4 stake by 0.6% and now owns 16,487,162 shares of Kratos—about 9.76% of the company, valued at roughly $1.25 billion.
• Insiders have sold 173,027 shares worth about $14.0 million in the past three months (insiders own 1.5%), while institutional investors collectively hold 75.92% of the stock.
• Kratos recently beat quarterly estimates (EPS $0.18 vs. $0.14; revenue $345.1M, up 21.9% YoY) and carries a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average target price of $98.28.

Vanguard Group Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS - Free Report) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 16,487,162 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 94,365 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 9.76% of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions worth $1,251,540,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of KTOS. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 22.6% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 190,481 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $5,655,000 after buying an additional 35,098 shares in the last quarter. Amundi acquired a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 1st quarter worth about $791,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 64.4% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,315 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 515 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 178.0% during the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 3,570 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $108,000 after acquiring an additional 2,286 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 11.7% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 393,614 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $11,686,000 after purchasing an additional 41,265 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.92% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, SVP Marie Mendoza sold 1,500 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.69, for a total value of $113,535.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 66,656 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,045,192.64. The trade was a 2.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Scot B. Jarvis sold 5,417 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.90, for a total value of $411,150.30. Following the transaction, the director owned 75,123 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,701,835.70. This trade represents a 6.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 173,027 shares of company stock worth $14,045,490. Insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Down 1.6%

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock opened at $62.05 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. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $32.85 and a fifty-two week high of $134.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $78.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $85.16. The firm has a market cap of $11.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 477.34 and a beta of 1.06.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KTOS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $85.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, April 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $93.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Citizens Jmp increased their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $79.00 target price for the company. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $90.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions presently 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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