Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) CFO Sells $242,750.00 in Stock

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) CFO Deanna Lund sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.55, for a total transaction of $242,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 280,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,617,643.85. This trade represents a 1.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Up 5.9%

Shares of KTOS opened at $60.77 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 5.08 and a current ratio of 5.54. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 52 week low of $43.09 and a 52 week high of $134.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 357.47 and a beta of 1.08. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $52.27 and a 200-day moving average of $70.57.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.07. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 3.07% and a net margin of 2.03%.The business had revenue of $458.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $410.36 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.11 EPS. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions’s quarterly revenue was up 30.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KTOS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Clear Str raised Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $99.00 to $82.00 in a report on Friday, June 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $100.00 to $89.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Citizens Jmp reduced their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $125.00 to $105.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $115.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $101.29.

Key Stories Impacting Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Here are the key news stories impacting Kratos Defense & Security Solutions this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Results exceeded expectations. Kratos reported second-quarter EPS of $0.21, up from $0.11 a year earlier and above the $0.14 analyst consensus. Revenue increased 30.5% year over year to $458.8 million, surpassing estimates of approximately $410 million. Kratos Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted stronger second-half growth. The company cited increased capacity, program funding and bookings across hypersonics, jet engines, unmanned systems and counter-drone technologies. Kratos also views engines for low-cost cruise missiles as a significant future growth opportunity. KTOS Q2 Earnings Call Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: A new U.S. Army development contract adds strategic support. Kratos will develop an Enhanced Seeker for the Javelin missile system, expanding its role in precision weapons and missile technology. Kratos Receives U.S. Army Contract
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains supportive. Piper Sandler upgraded KTOS, and BTIG raised its price target to $104 while maintaining a Buy rating, reinforcing investor confidence following the earnings report. Kratos Upgraded at Piper Sandler
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation remains a risk. With a high earnings multiple and relatively modest profitability, KTOS could be vulnerable if program launches, capacity expansion or defense bookings fall short of expectations.
• Negative Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald reduced its price target to $100 from $115, although it retained an Overweight rating. Separately, CFO Deanna Lund sold 5,000 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan; the sale was a small reduction in her holdings but may provide a minor counterpoint to the bullish news. KTOS Insider Sale

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,446,230 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $337,565,000 after acquiring an additional 148,622 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 3,311,095 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $251,345,000 after acquiring an additional 124,607 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7.4% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,046,194 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $278,331,000 after acquiring an additional 209,189 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 13.6% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,072,700 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $189,383,000 after purchasing an additional 247,652 shares during the period. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7,701.6% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,593,549 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $120,966,000 after purchasing an additional 1,573,123 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.