Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Trading Down 6.3% – Should You Sell?

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) traded down 6.3% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $114.28 and last traded at $120.59. 6,613,420 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 38% from the average session volume of 4,782,085 shares. The stock had previously closed at $128.68.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on KTOS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $93.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. JMP Securities lifted their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $70.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Citizens Jmp boosted their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $74.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Noble Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $93.06.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Down 6.3%

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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $85.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $77.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 927.69 and a beta of 1.09.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, insider Phillip D. Carrai sold 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.30, for a total transaction of $801,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 219,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,094,065.30. This trade represents a 2.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider David M. Carter sold 8,123 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.40, for a total value of $856,164.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 81,816 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,623,406.40. This trade represents a 9.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 911,815 shares of company stock worth $74,226,491. Insiders own 2.37% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of KTOS. Greenleaf Trust lifted its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 3,830 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $291,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. LVW Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. LVW Advisors LLC now owns 3,665 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $278,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,722 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $219,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Red Mountain Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Red Mountain Financial LLC now owns 10,500 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $488,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 15.2% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,515 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 75.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.