Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS Shares Sold by Moody Aldrich Partners LLC

Moody Aldrich Partners LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) by 20.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 82,330 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 21,250 shares during the period. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions comprises 1.2% of Moody Aldrich Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Moody Aldrich Partners LLC’s holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions were worth $6,250,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Amalgamated Bank raised its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 57.7% in the third quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 73,673 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $6,732,000 after acquiring an additional 26,946 shares in the last quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP acquired a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth $1,828,000. Baillie Gifford & Co. bought a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 3rd quarter worth about $19,048,000. M&T Bank Corp increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 174,305 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 3rd quarter valued at about $21,013,000. 75.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:KTOS opened at $61.66 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $11.56 billion, a PE ratio of 474.34 and a beta of 1.22. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $32.85 and a fifty-two week high of $134.00. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $80.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $85.49. The company has a quick ratio of 3.46, a current ratio of 4.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The aerospace company reported $0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $345.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $327.51 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a net margin of 1.63% and a return on equity of 3.34%. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions’s revenue was up 21.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.13 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.57 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on KTOS. JonesTrading started coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Monday, January 5th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. KeyCorp upped their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $90.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Noble Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, BTIG Research upped their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $95.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $98.28.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In related news, VP De Burgreen Maria Cervantes sold 6,270 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.29, for a total transaction of $559,848.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 59,369 shares in the company, valued at $5,301,058.01. This represents a 9.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director William A. Hoglund sold 30,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.19, for a total value of $2,171,295.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 252,500 shares in the company, valued at $17,975,475. This represents a 10.78% 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 162,027 shares of company stock worth $13,369,890. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.