Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Hits New 1-Year High - Here's What Happened

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high on Friday . The stock traded as high as $52.47 and last traded at $50.97, with a volume of 2142252 shares. The stock had previously closed at $46.27.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Noble Financial upped their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $38.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $60.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, June 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $52.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, June 30th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $54.00 price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $46.25.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Up 11.8%

The company has a market cap of $7.93 billion, a PE ratio of 397.80 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 2.84 and a quick ratio of 2.26. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $39.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $33.81.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The aerospace company reported $0.12 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $302.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $292.25 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 3.85% and a net margin of 1.68%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.11 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, insider Phillip D. Carrai sold 6,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.16, for a total transaction of $252,960.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 276,085 shares in the company, valued at $11,639,743.60. The trade was a 2.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Marie Mendoza sold 2,419 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.87, for a total value of $101,283.53. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 67,488 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,825,722.56. This represents a 3.46% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 149,572 shares of company stock valued at $5,373,706 in the last 90 days. 2.37% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the first quarter valued at about $594,000. Stifel Financial Corp grew its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 17.5% in the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 295,980 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $7,808,000 after buying an additional 44,048 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund bought a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,039,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. acquired a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the first quarter worth approximately $1,300,000. Finally, Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 27.4% in the first quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 38,690 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,149,000 after purchasing an additional 8,319 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.92% of the company's stock.

About Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc engages in the provision of mission critical products, services and solutions for United States national security priorities. It operates through the Kratos Government Solutions (KGS) and Unmanned Systems (US) segments. The KGS segment consists of an aggregation of KGS operating segments, including microwave electronic products, space, satellite and cyber, training solutions.