Managed Asset Portfolios LLC Has $4.80 Million Stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS

Managed Asset Portfolios LLC reduced its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) by 70.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 52,500 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 126,083 shares during the quarter. Managed Asset Portfolios LLC’s holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions were worth $4,797,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Rovida Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $82,315,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 29.6% in the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,086,494 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $236,268,000 after buying an additional 1,162,577 shares in the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP acquired a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the third quarter valued at approximately $91,901,000. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 29.1% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,370,085 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $110,090,000 after acquiring an additional 533,912 shares during the period. Finally, Seven Grand Managers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the second quarter worth $23,225,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Kratos’ OpenSpace platform has been selected as the core of SSC Space Go, a new global data-delivery service for small satellites in LEO. This validates Kratos’ software-based ground systems strategy, could drive recurring software and services revenue, and boosts its addressable market in commercial and government small-sat connectivity. Kratos OpenSpace Deal With SSC Links Growth Story To Lofty Valuation
• Positive Sentiment: Kratos received an approximately $7 million production contract award for a Counter-UAS system (related to a longer-term contract). That adds near-term revenue, contributes to backlog, and reinforces Kratos’ position in air-defense and counter-drone markets. Kratos Receives $7 Million Order for Counter-UAS Systems
• Neutral Sentiment: Kratos completed a public equity offering to raise capital for expansion. This strengthens the balance sheet and funds growth initiatives but is dilutive and may temper near-term EPS expectations. Investors will weigh runway versus dilution. Kratos Defense Completes Public Equity Offering to Expand
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent geopolitical activity provided a short-term lift to defense names (and briefly to KTOS), but such moves can be fleeting and depend on escalation risk and contract flow rather than company fundamentals. What’s Behind The Jump In Kratos Defense & Security Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and institutional distribution are cited as material headwinds—reports note heavy insider sales and institutions reducing positions, which creates selling pressure and limits upward momentum absent a strong catalyst. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions: Red Flags for Investors
• Negative Sentiment: Recent analyst estimate reductions (e.g., Noble Financial) and guidance sensitivity after past results have trimmed near-term expectations, pressuring sentiment until further out-quarter results or guidance prove stronger. Noble Financial Brokers Reduce Earnings Estimates for KTOS

Insider Activity at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, insider David M. Carter sold 8,123 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.40, for a total value of $856,164.20. Following the sale, the insider owned 81,816 shares in the company, valued at $8,623,406.40. This represents a 9.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Scott I. Anderson sold 15,401 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.51, for a total value of $1,147,528.51. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 66,334 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,942,546.34. The trade was a 18.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 557,907 shares of company stock worth $48,954,443 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 2.37% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group initiated coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $79.00 price target on the stock. Noble Financial restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Truist Financial set a $135.00 price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $98.28.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Trading Down 2.0%

NASDAQ KTOS opened at $88.95 on Wednesday. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 12 month low of $25.32 and a 12 month high of $134.00. The company has a current ratio of 4.06, a quick ratio of 3.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $98.44 and a 200-day moving average of $85.58. The company has a market cap of $15.15 billion, a PE ratio of 684.28 and a beta of 1.12.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The aerospace company reported $0.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $345.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $327.51 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a net margin of 1.63% and a return on equity of 3.34%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.13 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions 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.