Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Shares Gap Up – Time to Buy?

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) gapped up before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $86.18, but opened at $92.42. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions shares last traded at $96.1290, with a volume of 4,012,801 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on KTOS. KeyCorp boosted their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $90.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Noble Financial reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. BTIG Research upped their price objective on 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. Finally, Citizens Jmp lifted their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $98.28.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 4.06, a quick ratio of 3.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.22 billion, a PE ratio of 689.61 and a beta of 1.12. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $98.13 and its 200-day moving average is $85.28.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Stacey G. Rock sold 16,568 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.74, for a total transaction of $1,934,148.32. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 26,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,092,092.38. This represents a 38.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Deanna H. Lund sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.02, for a total transaction of $1,800,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 248,285 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,881,485.70. This trade represents a 9.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 582,907 shares of company stock valued at $50,754,943. 2.37% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp boosted its stake in 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 worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 380 shares during the period. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. purchased a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the second quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the third quarter valued at about $32,000. 75.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.