Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Sees Large Volume Increase - Time to Buy?

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) shares saw an uptick in trading volume on Monday . 2,417,244 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 15% from the previous session's volume of 2,094,967 shares.The stock last traded at $51.57 and had previously closed at $51.71.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on KTOS. 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. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $60.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $38.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 3rd. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $38.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, June 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $46.25.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Price Performance

The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $39.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $33.86. The stock has a market cap of $7.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 399.95 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a quick ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 2.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The aerospace company reported $0.12 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $302.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.11 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, CEO Eric M. Demarco acquired 7,455 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $33.59 per share, with a total value of $250,413.45. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,396,237 shares of the company's stock, valued at $46,899,600.83. This represents a 0.54% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Deanna H. Lund sold 6,567 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.75, for a total value of $247,904.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 318,766 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,033,416.50. This trade represents a 2.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 149,572 shares of company stock valued at $5,373,706. 2.37% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 13.1% during the 1st quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,888 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $86,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.8% during the 1st quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 12,449 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $370,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. boosted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 8,975 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $266,000 after purchasing an additional 475 shares in the last quarter. Global Financial Private Client LLC boosted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Global Financial Private Client LLC now owns 27,688 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,286,000 after purchasing an additional 476 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 15,479 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $408,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. 75.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.