Insider Selling: Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Insider Sells 4,000 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Insider sale: Kratos Defense & Security Solutions insider David Carter sold 4,000 shares at an average price of $59.16, totaling about $236,640. The transaction was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan.
• Stock and earnings update: KTOS fell to $56.19 in Tuesday trading, below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages. The company recently reported quarterly EPS of $0.16, beating estimates, on revenue of $371 million, up 22.6% year over year.
• Analyst and ownership backdrop: Wall Street remains generally positive, with an average Moderate Buy rating and a $96.28 average target price. Institutional investors own about 75.92% of the stock, and several large funds recently increased their positions.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) insider David Carter sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.16, for a total value of $236,640.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 70,092 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,146,642.72. This trade represents a 5.40% 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.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Performance

KTOS traded down $1.54 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $56.19. 3,469,769 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,792,662. The stock has a market cap of $10.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 330.53 and a beta of 1.04. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $63.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $80.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 5.63 and a quick ratio of 5.08. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 12 month low of $37.90 and a 12 month high of $134.00.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.03. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a net margin of 2.08% and a return on equity of 2.82%. The firm had revenue of $371.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $345.00 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.12 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 22.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KTOS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Clear Str raised shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Citizens Jmp lowered their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $125.00 to $105.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 8th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $80.00 price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Sunday, May 10th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $96.28.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,446,230 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $337,565,000 after buying an additional 148,622 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 3,311,095 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $251,345,000 after acquiring an additional 124,607 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 29.5% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,068,863 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $280,402,000 after acquiring an additional 698,778 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7.4% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,046,194 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $278,331,000 after purchasing an additional 209,189 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 1,389.0% during the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,707,776 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $247,409,000 after purchasing an additional 2,525,921 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.92% of the company's stock.

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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