Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Insider Sells $338,845.00 in Stock

Key Points

• Insider sale: Kratos Defense & Security Solutions insider Phillip Carrai sold 6,500 shares on May 15 for about $338,845 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. After the sale, he still held 221,550 shares.
• Recent performance: The company reported Q1 earnings of $0.16 per share, beating estimates, on revenue of $371 million, up 22.6% year over year. Shares were trading down about 1.4% in the article, at $53.47.
• Analyst sentiment remains constructive: Wall Street analysts have a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average price target of $96.28. Recent ratings included multiple Buy/Overweight calls, though one firm cut its target from $100 to $80.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) insider Phillip Carrai sold 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.13, for a total value of $338,845.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 221,550 shares in the company, valued at $11,549,401.50. The trade was a 2.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Trading Down 1.4%

NASDAQ:KTOS traded down $0.75 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $53.47. 2,747,650 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,297,410. The firm's fifty day moving average is $71.76 and its 200-day moving average is $82.74. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 12-month low of $34.06 and a 12-month high of $134.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 314.53 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a current ratio of 5.63, a quick ratio of 5.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 return on equity of 2.82% and a net margin of 2.08%.The company had revenue of $371.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $345.00 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.12 EPS. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions's quarterly revenue was up 22.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.5 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on KTOS shares. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $90.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Clear Str raised shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $100.00 to $80.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $80.00 target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Sunday, May 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $96.28.

More Kratos Defense & Security Solutions News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Kratos continues to benefit from rising defense spending and demand for unmanned systems, with recent results showing 22.6% revenue growth and a record backlog.
• Neutral Sentiment: A market article singled out KTOS as a long-term growth name after its pullback, arguing the recent weakness may have improved the entry point versus earlier highs. 3 Undervalued Stocks to Buy Before the Market's Next Big Move
• Negative Sentiment: Director and executive insider sales, including a 3,000-share sale by Bradley L. Boyd and additional sales by Phillip D. Carrai and Marie Mendoza, may be adding pressure to the stock. SEC filing

Institutional Trading of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 22.6% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 190,481 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $5,655,000 after acquiring an additional 35,098 shares in the last quarter. Amundi bought a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 1st quarter valued at about $791,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 64.4% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,315 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 515 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 178.0% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 3,570 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $108,000 after buying an additional 2,286 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 11.7% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 393,614 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $11,686,000 after buying an additional 41,265 shares during the period. 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.