Insider Selling: Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Insider Sells 4,675 Shares

Key Points

• Insider sale: Kratos Defense & Security Solutions insider Stacey Rock sold 4,675 shares at $50.00 each, totaling $233,750. The sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan.
• Stock moved higher: KTOS shares rose 4.4% in midday trading to $55.35, with trading volume running above average.
• Business and outlook: Kratos recently beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, and analysts remain broadly positive with an average Buy rating and a consensus price target of about $100.44.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) insider Stacey Rock sold 4,675 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $233,750.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 9,600 shares in the company, valued at approximately $480,000. This represents a 32.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Up 4.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:KTOS traded up $2.31 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $55.35. 6,700,834 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,618,605. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 5.08 and a current ratio of 5.63. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 52-week low of $42.81 and a 52-week high of $134.00. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $57.17 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $77.97. The company has a market capitalization of $10.38 billion, a PE ratio of 325.59 and a beta of 1.07.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) last issued 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. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 2.82% and a net margin of 2.08%.The firm had revenue of $371.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $345.00 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.12 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 22.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KTOS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $99.00 to $75.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Truist Financial raised shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $100.00 to $80.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. BNP Paribas Exane raised their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $82.00 price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $100.44.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.5% during 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 during the period. Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.9% in 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 lifted 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 last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7.4% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,046,194 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $278,331,000 after acquiring an additional 209,189 shares during the period. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 2,525,921 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.92% of the company's stock.

More Kratos Defense & Security Solutions News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kratos Defense & Security Solutions this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kratos won an approximate $36 million sole-source contract for a new air defense missile system, boosting backlog and revenue visibility.
• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush initiated coverage with Outperform and an $85 price target, signaling optimism about Kratos’ role in U.S. defense spending.
• Positive Sentiment: Kratos became the exclusive U.S. manufacturer for Elroy Air and signed an initial JV agreement with Barq Group, expanding growth opportunities. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary linking KTOS to the proposed Golden Dome program is reinforcing expectations for long-term defense demand. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Strong results from AeroVironment lifted sentiment across defense names, including Kratos. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider Steven Fendley sold 7,000 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, which is worth watching but does not appear to signal a major change in fundamentals. Article Title

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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