Insider Selling: Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Director Sells 15,000 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Director Scott Anderson sold 15,000 shares of Kratos (KTOS) on March 16 at an average price of $89.11 for proceeds of $1,336,650, reducing his stake by 22.61% to 51,334 shares (~$4.57M).
• KTOS stock slipped about 2.4% to $93.04 with below-average volume; the company has a market cap of $17.38B and an elevated P/E of 715.75.
• Kratos beat quarterly expectations, posting $0.18 EPS vs. $0.14 est. and $345.1M revenue (up 21.9% YoY), while analysts' consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with a $98.28 price target.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) Director Scott Anderson sold 15,000 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.11, for a total transaction of $1,336,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 51,334 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,574,372.74. This trade represents a 22.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Down 2.4%

KTOS stock traded down $2.27 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $93.04. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,840,597 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,419,156. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $100.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $87.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 715.75 and a beta of 1.12. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $25.78 and a 52-week high of $134.00.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 23rd. The aerospace company reported $0.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $345.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $327.51 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 3.34% and a net margin of 1.63%.The company's revenue was up 21.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.13 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in KTOS. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Caitlin John LLC acquired a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp lifted its position in shares of 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 worth $29,000 after buying an additional 380 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. acquired a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.92% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup reiterated a "market outperform" rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Citizens Jmp upped 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 note on Monday, January 12th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $79.00 price target for the company. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. They set a "neutral" rating and a $99.00 price target for the company. Finally, B. Riley Financial increased their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $105.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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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