Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Hits New 1-Year Low After Insider Selling

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS)’s share price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $45.42 and last traded at $45.8320, with a volume of 912007 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $48.64.

Specifically, insider Steven S. Fendley sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.13, for a total transaction of $329,910.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 295,120 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,909,005.60. This represents a 2.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on KTOS. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Friday, July 17th. BTIG Research reduced their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $115.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Wedbush began coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $85.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $80.00 price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased 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 research report on Tuesday, July 14th. 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 MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $101.29.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Up 5.2%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 5.63 and a quick ratio of 5.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 271.59 and a beta of 1.07. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $52.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $73.13.

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, beating 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 firm had revenue of $371.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $345.00 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.12 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 22.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of KTOS. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp lifted its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7,600.0% during the 4th 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. Vision Retirement LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 288.2% during the 1st quarter. Vision Retirement LLC now owns 427 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. 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.