Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS Shares Sold by Stephens Investment Management Group LLC

Stephens Investment Management Group LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) by 24.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 888,935 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 290,353 shares during the quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC’s holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions were worth $62,679,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp increased its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7,600.0% in the fourth quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 385 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 380 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the second quarter valued at about $31,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp raised its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 115.4% during the fourth quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp now owns 420 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Institutional investors own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of KTOS stock opened at $55.35 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $10.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 325.59 and a beta of 1.07. The business has a 50 day moving average of $56.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $77.67. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 52 week low of $42.81 and a 52 week high of $134.00. 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) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.03. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 2.82% and a net margin of 2.08%.The business had revenue of $371.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $345.00 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.12 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 22.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.48 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, CFO Deanna H. Lund sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.85, for a total value of $264,250.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 285,405 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,083,654.25. This trade represents a 1.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Phillip D. Carrai sold 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.74, for a total value of $375,310.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 215,052 shares in the company, valued at $12,417,102.48. The trade was a 2.93% 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. Insiders sold 161,453 shares of company stock valued at $9,561,063 over the last three months. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Kratos Defense & Security Solutions News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kratos Defense & Security Solutions this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kratos won an approximately $36 million sole-source contract for a new air defense missile system, adding a near-term revenue catalyst and reinforcing its position in defense modernization. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush upgraded Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (KTOS) to Strong Buy, which boosted investor confidence in the stock’s longer-term outlook. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Broader defense-sector enthusiasm, including renewed attention on drone and missile-defense names, has helped support sentiment in KTOS. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Insiders Steven Fendley, Deanna H. Lund, and Stacey Rock disclosed stock sales, but each transaction was made under pre-arranged 10b5-1 plans, making them less informative about operational prospects. Article Title

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KTOS has been the subject of several research reports. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on 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. Truist Financial raised Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $99.00 to $82.00 in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped 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 report on Thursday, May 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $100.44.

About Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

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.