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Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Trading 4.4% Higher - Here's Why

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Key Points

  • KTOS shares rose 4.4% as trading volume surged well above average, with investors reacting to a fresh wave of positive defense-sector headlines.
  • Kratos landed an approximate $36 million sole-source air defense missile system contract, while Wedbush started coverage at Outperform with an $85 price target.
  • Recent developments also include Kratos becoming the exclusive U.S. manufacturer for Elroy Air and signing a JV agreement with Barq Group, expanding its growth opportunities in defense and unmanned systems.
  • Interested in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions? Here are five stocks we like better.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) shares were up 4.4% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $58.88 and last traded at $55.35. 6,693,360 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 45% from the average session volume of 4,618,519 shares. The stock had previously closed at $53.04.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions News Summary

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KTOS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $99.00 to $82.00 in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Piper Sandler cut their target price 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. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price 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. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Truist Financial raised shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $100.44.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $10.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 325.59 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $57.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $77.97. The company has a quick ratio of 5.08, a current ratio of 5.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $371.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $345.00 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 2.82% and a net margin of 2.08%.Kratos Defense & Security Solutions's revenue was up 22.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.12 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, insider Steven S. Fendley sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.37, for a total value of $338,590.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 302,126 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,613,834.62. This trade represents a 2.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Marie Mendoza sold 1,500 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.93, for a total transaction of $86,895.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 64,447 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,733,414.71. This represents a 2.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 151,778 shares of company stock valued at $9,063,063. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its position in shares of 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 worth $247,409,000 after purchasing an additional 2,525,921 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7,701.6% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,593,549 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $120,966,000 after purchasing an additional 1,573,123 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 4th quarter worth approximately $104,807,000. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 698,778 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 66.0% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,398,525 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $106,162,000 after buying an additional 556,036 shares during the period. 75.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

(Get Free Report)

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.

See Also

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.

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