Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Increases Stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS

Key Points

• Zurcher Kantonalbank boosted its stake in Kratos by 54.1% in Q4, buying 20,198 shares to hold 57,504 shares worth about $4.37 million, and institutional investors now own roughly 75.92% of the company.
• Kratos beat Q4 estimates with EPS of $0.18 (vs. $0.14 expected) and revenue of $345.1 million, up 21.9% year‑over‑year; the stock has a market cap of $11.48 billion and a 52‑week range of $32.63–$134.00.
• Several analysts have raised price targets (many to the $125–$134 range) and the consensus rating is a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $98.28.

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS - Free Report) by 54.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 57,504 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 20,198 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank's holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions were worth $4,365,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Caitlin John LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Whittier Trust Co. purchased a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake 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 buying an additional 269 shares during the period. Finally, CI Investments Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 142.7% in the 3rd quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 432 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 254 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.92% of the company's stock.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Price Performance

KTOS stock opened at $61.26 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $81.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $86.23. The stock has a market cap of $11.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 471.27 and a beta of 1.22. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $32.63 and a fifty-two week high of $134.00. The company has a quick ratio of 3.46, a current ratio of 4.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $345.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.13 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, CFO Deanna H. Lund sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.63, for a total value of $348,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 300,069 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,893,804.47. The trade was a 1.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing 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, SVP Marie Mendoza sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.69, for a total value of $113,535.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 66,656 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,045,192.64. This represents a 2.20% decrease in their position. 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 174,027 shares of company stock valued at $14,717,080 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citizens Jmp lifted their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on 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. JonesTrading began coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Monday, January 5th. They set a "buy" rating for the company. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $112.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $90.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $98.28.

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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