Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Shares Down 7.7% – Time to Sell?

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS)’s share price was down 7.7% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $57.50 and last traded at $58.52. Approximately 3,482,619 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 21% from the average daily volume of 4,395,119 shares. The stock had previously closed at $63.40.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on KTOS shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $82.00 price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $80.00 price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Sunday, May 10th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $96.28.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $64.11 and a 200-day moving average of $80.72. The firm has a market cap of $10.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 344.24 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a quick ratio of 5.08, a current ratio of 5.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Phillip D. Carrai sold 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.07, for a total value of $578,955.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 234,292 shares in the company, valued at $20,868,388.44. This trade represents a 2.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Scott I. Anderson sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.11, for a total value of $1,336,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 51,334 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,574,372.74. This represents a 22.61% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 183,564 shares of company stock valued at $12,745,304 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Greenleaf Trust boosted its stake in 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 period. LVW Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.0% in the 4th 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 boosted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7.3% in the 4th 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. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 5,918 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $449,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the period. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

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.