Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 9,127,940 shares, an increase of 18.4% from the February 26th total of 7,708,615 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 5,667,117 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.6 days. Currently, 5.0% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KTOS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $79.00 target price on the stock. B. Riley Financial lifted their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $105.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Truist Financial set a $135.00 price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $98.28.

Insider Transactions at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In related news, Director Scot B. Jarvis sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.14, for a total value of $390,700.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 80,417 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,283,784.38. This trade represents a 5.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Stacey G. Rock sold 4,000 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.78, for a total value of $307,120.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 21,777 shares in the company, valued at $1,672,038.06. This trade represents a 15.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 373,500 shares of company stock worth $34,826,678 over the last three months. 2.37% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Greenleaf Trust boosted its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 3,830 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $291,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. LVW Advisors LLC increased its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co lifted 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 worth $129,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted 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 worth $449,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,945 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $148,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Price Performance

Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock traded down $2.81 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $67.70. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,381,942 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,386,454. The company has a market cap of $12.68 billion, a PE ratio of 520.81 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 3.46 and a current ratio of 4.06. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $92.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $88.16. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has a 12-month low of $25.78 and a 12-month high of $134.00.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last released its 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 analysts’ expectations of $327.51 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.13 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 21.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.