Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Shares Down 2% – Time to Sell?

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS)’s share price fell 2% during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $45.58 and last traded at $46.03. 5,595,562 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 23% from the average session volume of 4,564,479 shares. The stock had previously closed at $46.96.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KTOS has been the subject of several recent research reports. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. BTIG Research decreased their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $115.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Truist Financial raised Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $100.00 to $89.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $101.29.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $8.63 billion, a PE ratio of 270.76 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a current ratio of 5.63, a quick ratio of 5.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The business’s 50 day moving average is $54.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $75.76.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $371.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $345.00 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.12 EPS. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.48 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Steven S. Fendley sold 7,000 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.37, for a total transaction of $338,590.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 302,126 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,613,834.62. This trade represents a 2.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Deanna H. Lund sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.85, for a total value of $264,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 285,405 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,083,654.25. This represents a 1.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 148,036 shares of company stock valued at $8,455,857 in the last three months. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 245.2% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 601,674 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $45,673,000 after acquiring an additional 427,396 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 6,900.4% in the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 176,831 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $13,423,000 after acquiring an additional 174,305 shares during the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 435.1% in the 4th quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 43,011 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,265,000 after acquiring an additional 34,973 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 65.2% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 714,083 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $54,206,000 after purchasing an additional 281,811 shares during the period. Finally, B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG purchased a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 4th quarter worth about $1,821,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

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.