Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Stock Price Up 13.4% – Here’s Why

Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) shot up 13.4% on Monday . The company traded as high as $90.11 and last traded at $89.93. 4,429,142 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 34% from the average session volume of 3,298,340 shares. The stock had previously closed at $79.29.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on KTOS. BTIG Research increased their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. JMP Securities raised their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $70.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. BNP Paribas set a $80.00 price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, Jones Trading initiated coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Monday. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $82.53.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 3.68 and a current ratio of 4.30. The stock has a market cap of $15.18 billion, a PE ratio of 233.21 and a beta of 1.09. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $77.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $71.49.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.02. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 3.14% and a net margin of 1.56%.The business had revenue of $347.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $323.01 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.11 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 26.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Phillip D. Carrai sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.91, for a total transaction of $455,460.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 198,962 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,103,205.42. This trade represents a 2.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Marie Mendoza sold 1,567 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.27, for a total transaction of $119,515.09. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 57,536 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,388,270.72. This represents a 2.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 663,865 shares of company stock valued at $50,935,776 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 2.37% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. bought a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Caitlin John LLC bought a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 193.5% in the third quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 408 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 269 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Company Profile

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.