Bleakley Financial Group LLC Sells 8,254 Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS

Bleakley Financial Group LLC decreased its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) by 40.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 12,106 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 8,254 shares during the quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions were worth $919,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Greenleaf Trust lifted its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 2.7% during the fourth 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 period. LVW Advisors LLC lifted its position in 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 valued at $278,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co lifted its position in 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 valued at $129,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC increased its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 37,776 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,868,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dupree Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Dupree Financial Group LLC now owns 23,817 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,808,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In related news, insider Jonah Adelman sold 31,348 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.06, for a total transaction of $1,788,716.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 8,000 shares in the company, valued at $456,480. This trade represents a 79.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Steven S. Fendley sold 7,000 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.24, for a total transaction of $400,680.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 344,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,695,711.60. The trade was a 1.99% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 199,388 shares of company stock worth $14,283,667. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Price Performance

KTOS stock opened at $64.13 on Friday. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 52 week low of $35.88 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. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $65.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $81.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 377.24 and a beta of 1.06.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.03. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a net margin of 2.08% and a return on equity of 2.82%. The business had revenue of $371.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $345.00 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.12 earnings per share. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions’s quarterly revenue was up 22.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on KTOS shares. Citizens Jmp reduced their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $125.00 to $105.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 8th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $80.00 price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Sunday, May 10th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $82.00 price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. BTIG Research reduced their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $115.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane increased their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $96.28.

Trending Headlines about Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

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

• Positive Sentiment: Reports that the U.S. government may fund or take equity stakes in domestic drone makers have raised hopes that Kratos could benefit from stronger demand, policy support, and a more favorable growth outlook. Kratos And US Drone Funding Talks Could Reshape Growth And Risk Profile
• Positive Sentiment: Heavy call-option buying suggests traders are positioning for additional upside tied to the drone-sector funding theme. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:KTOS)
• Neutral Sentiment: Several insiders recently sold shares, including director Bobbi Doorenbos and executives Steven S. Fendley and Jonah Adelman. While the sales can pressure sentiment, at least one was made under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan and does not necessarily indicate a change in fundamentals. Jonah Adelman insider sale details

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.