Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Shares Down 1.6% – Time to Sell?

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) shares fell 1.6% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $127.00 and last traded at $128.68. 4,601,492 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 1% from the average session volume of 4,628,430 shares. The stock had previously closed at $130.72.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citizens Jmp raised their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $74.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. BNP Paribas set a $80.00 target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $80.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $92.00.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Trading Down 1.6%

The firm has a market cap of $21.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 989.92 and a beta of 1.09. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $84.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $77.10. The company has a quick ratio of 3.68, a current ratio of 4.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.12 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $347.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $323.01 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 3.14% and a net margin of 1.56%.Kratos Defense & Security Solutions’s quarterly revenue was up 26.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.11 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, SVP Marie Mendoza sold 1,676 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.18, for a total value of $201,421.68. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 63,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,618,570.74. This trade represents a 2.58% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider David M. Carter sold 8,123 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.40, for a total transaction of $856,164.20. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 81,816 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,623,406.40. The trade was a 9.03% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 911,815 shares of company stock worth $74,226,491 in the last 90 days. 2.37% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in KTOS. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. increased its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 9,557 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $725,000 after buying an additional 610 shares during the last quarter. MRA Advisory Group lifted its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 15.7% in the fourth quarter. MRA Advisory Group now owns 28,976 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,200,000 after acquiring an additional 3,939 shares during the last quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners grew its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 78.0% in the fourth quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners now owns 11,132 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $845,000 after acquiring an additional 4,877 shares during the period. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the fourth quarter worth approximately $152,000. Finally, Herbst Group LLC acquired a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the fourth quarter worth $463,000. 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.