Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Shares Down 4% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) dropped 4% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $67.60 and last traded at $67.70. Approximately 4,407,317 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 0% from the average daily volume of 4,403,008 shares. The stock had previously closed at $70.51.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KTOS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Citizens Jmp increased their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $79.00 price target for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, BTIG Research increased their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $95.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. One equities 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $98.28.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Performance

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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $92.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $88.16. The stock has a market cap of $12.68 billion, a PE ratio of 520.81 and a beta of 1.12.

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

Insider Activity

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, insider Phillip D. Carrai sold 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.07, for a total transaction of $578,955.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 234,292 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,868,388.44. This trade represents a 2.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Stacey G. Rock sold 4,000 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.78, for a total value of $307,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 21,777 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,672,038.06. The trade was a 15.52% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 373,500 shares of company stock valued at $34,826,678 over the last three months. Company insiders own 2.37% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at 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 buying an additional 380 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the third quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. 75.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.