Hsbc Holdings PLC Grows Stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS

Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) by 187.7% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 47,566 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 31,031 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions were worth $3,321,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of KTOS. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7,600.0% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 385 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 380 shares during the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp raised its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 115.4% during the fourth quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp now owns 420 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 75.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on KTOS. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $100.00 to $80.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $80.00 price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $99.00 to $82.00 in a report on Friday, June 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $100.00 to $89.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $101.29.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Trading Down 4.2%

Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock opened at $47.35 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 278.53 and a beta of 1.07. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $45.58 and a fifty-two week high of $134.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 5.08 and a current ratio of 5.63. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $53.57 and a 200 day moving average of $74.74.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.03. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 2.82% and a net margin of 2.08%.The company had revenue of $371.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $345.00 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.12 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 22.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Stacey G. Rock sold 4,675 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $233,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 9,600 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $480,000. This trade represents a 32.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Marie Mendoza sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.93, for a total transaction of $86,895.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 64,447 shares in the company, valued at $3,733,414.71. This trade represents a 2.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 148,036 shares of company stock worth $8,455,857. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.