Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Stock Price Up 2.3% – Time to Buy?

Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) shot up 2.3% on Monday . The company traded as high as $91.80 and last traded at $89.53. 2,419,494 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 46% from the average session volume of 4,473,529 shares. The stock had previously closed at $87.53.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on KTOS. B. Riley Financial lifted their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $105.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Piper Sandler began coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $99.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, JonesTrading initiated coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Monday, January 5th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $98.28.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Trading Up 2.3%

The company has a quick ratio of 3.46, a current ratio of 4.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $100.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $86.83. The company has a market cap of $16.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 688.75 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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.04. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a net margin of 1.63% and a return on equity of 3.34%. The business had revenue of $345.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $327.51 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.13 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Deanna H. Lund sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.28, for a total transaction of $456,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 270,058 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,650,894.24. This represents a 1.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Stacey G. Rock sold 6,066 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.99, for a total value of $533,747.34. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 25,617 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,254,039.83. This represents a 19.15% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 550,763 shares of company stock valued at $48,771,342 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 2.37% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KTOS. Greenleaf Trust grew its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 3,830 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $291,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. LVW Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. LVW Advisors LLC now owns 3,665 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $278,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co raised its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,698 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $129,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 5,918 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $449,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the period. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,945 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $148,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. 75.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.