Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Trading 3.2% Higher – Should You Buy?

Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) rose 3.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $80.94 and last traded at $79.98. Approximately 3,909,208 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 11% from the average daily volume of 4,399,032 shares. The stock had previously closed at $77.49.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on KTOS shares. Noble Financial restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Truist Financial set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Friday, January 9th. JonesTrading initiated coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Monday, January 5th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, B. Riley Financial raised their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $105.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. One 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $98.28.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Trading Down 5.2%

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $96.15 and a 200 day moving average of $87.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 4.06 and a quick ratio of 3.46. The firm has a market cap of $13.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 553.43 and a beta of 1.12.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Marie Mendoza sold 1,516 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.97, for a total value of $134,878.52. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 67,926 shares in the company, valued at $6,043,376.22. The trade was a 2.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Scot B. Jarvis sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.60, for a total value of $443,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 85,417 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,567,946.20. This represents a 5.53% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 371,500 shares of company stock worth $34,664,848 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 2.37% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Purpose Unlimited Inc. purchased a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 4th quarter worth $122,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 34.8% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 23,771 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,804,000 after buying an additional 6,141 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors grew its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 13.0% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 6,015 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $457,000 after buying an additional 694 shares during the last quarter. Eos Management L.P. grew its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 83.1% during the fourth quarter. Eos Management L.P. now owns 15,021 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,140,000 after buying an additional 6,819 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 19.7% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 24,452 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,856,000 after buying an additional 4,026 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

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.