Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:KTOS)

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) saw some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Stock traders acquired 4,566 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 155% compared to the typical daily volume of 1,789 call options.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Price Performance

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock remained flat at $17.83 during mid-day trading on Tuesday. The company had a trading volume of 212,739 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,299,680. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.67 billion, a PE ratio of -297.12 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 2.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has a 12 month low of $12.12 and a 12 month high of $21.60. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $18.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $18.42.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The aerospace company reported $0.12 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $273.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $253.39 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a positive return on equity of 3.01% and a negative net margin of 0.86%. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.03 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions will post 0.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, insider Steven S. Fendley sold 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.34, for a total value of $121,380.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 352,641 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,114,794.94. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, SVP Marie Mendoza sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.05, for a total value of $27,075.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 90,713 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,637,369.65. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Steven S. Fendley sold 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.34, for a total value of $121,380.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 352,641 shares in the company, valued at $6,114,794.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 41,538 shares of company stock worth $763,479 over the last ninety days. 2.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Raymond James & Associates boosted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 45.9% during the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 274,512 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $5,046,000 after buying an additional 86,407 shares during the last quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 1st quarter worth $853,000. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 1st quarter worth $264,000. Hodges Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 1st quarter valued at $6,800,000. Finally, Register Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Register Financial Advisors LLC now owns 190,604 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $3,503,000 after acquiring an additional 750 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KTOS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Benchmark boosted their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $20.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $20.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $22.00 to $20.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $23.00 price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $21.14.

About Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc operates as a technology company that addresses the defense, national security, and commercial markets. It operates through two segments, Kratos Government Solutions and Unmanned Systems. The company offers ground systems for satellites and space vehicles, including software for command and control, telemetry, and tracking and control; jet-powered unmanned aerial drone systems, hypersonic vehicles, and rocket systems; propulsion systems for drones, missiles, loitering munitions, supersonic systems, spacecraft, and launch systems; command, control, communication, computing, combat, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance; and microwave electronic products for missile, radar, missile defense, space, and satellite; counter unmanned aircraft systems, directed energy, communication and other systems, and virtual and augmented reality training systems for the warfighter.