Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Rating Increased to Buy at The Goldman Sachs Group

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at The Goldman Sachs Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report released on Monday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has a $52.00 price target on the aerospace company's stock. The Goldman Sachs Group's price target indicates a potential upside of 20.73% from the company's previous close.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Noble Financial raised their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $38.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 17th. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $52.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $33.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, June 16th. Finally, Benchmark increased their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $40.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $43.55.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Down 7.3%

NASDAQ KTOS traded down $3.38 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $43.07. 5,953,885 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,985,779. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.61 billion, a PE ratio of 331.33 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 2.84, a quick ratio of 2.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has a 12 month low of $17.91 and a 12 month high of $47.25. The company has a 50 day moving average of $37.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $32.75.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The aerospace company reported $0.12 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.03. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a net margin of 1.68% and a return on equity of 3.85%. The business had revenue of $302.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $292.25 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.11 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, CFO Deanna H. Lund sold 6,567 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.75, for a total transaction 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 approximately $12,033,416.50. This trade represents a 2.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Steven S. Fendley sold 15,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.37, for a total value of $515,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 384,492 shares in the company, valued at $13,214,990.04. This represents a 3.75% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 138,572 shares of company stock worth $4,869,566 in the last 90 days. 2.37% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 13.1% in the 1st quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,888 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $86,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. boosted its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.8% during the first quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 12,449 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $370,000 after buying an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. grew its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 5.6% in the first quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 8,975 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $266,000 after buying an additional 475 shares during the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 15,479 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $408,000 after buying an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MRP Capital Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 28.6% during the 4th quarter. MRP Capital Investments LLC now owns 2,250 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. 75.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.