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 on July 8 at an average price of $50.45, totaling about $201,800. The transaction was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan.
• Stock performance: KTOS shares fell 1.4% to $48.19 in Friday trading, near the lower end of its 52-week range. The stock remains well below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• Business and analyst backdrop: Kratos recently beat earnings and revenue expectations, with quarterly revenue up 22.6% year over year. Analysts remain broadly positive, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $103.41.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) insider David Carter sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.45, for a total value of $201,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 66,238 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,341,707.10. The trade was a 5.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Down 1.4%

KTOS traded down $0.66 during trading on Friday, reaching $48.19. The stock had a trading volume of 2,372,479 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,567,589. The company has a current ratio of 5.63, a quick ratio of 5.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The company has a market capitalization of $9.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 283.47 and a beta of 1.07. The stock's 50 day moving average is $55.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $77.08. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a one year low of $46.01 and a one year high of $134.00.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $371.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $345.00 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a net margin of 2.08% and a return on equity of 2.82%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 22.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.12 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on KTOS. Truist Financial upgraded shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $80.00 price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Wednesday. BTIG Research cut their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $115.00 to $100.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $100.00 to $80.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $103.41.

Institutional Trading of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.5% in the fourth 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 increased its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 3,311,095 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $251,345,000 after acquiring an additional 124,607 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,046,194 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $278,331,000 after acquiring an additional 209,189 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 1,389.0% in the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,707,776 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $247,409,000 after acquiring an additional 2,525,921 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 13.6% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,072,700 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $189,383,000 after acquiring an additional 247,652 shares in the last quarter. 75.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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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