Clearbridge Investments LLC Purchases 476,049 Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS

Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) by 48.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,458,084 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 476,049 shares during the quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC’s holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions were worth $110,683,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 245.2% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 601,674 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $45,673,000 after purchasing an additional 427,396 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp grew its holdings 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. Victory Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 3rd quarter worth about $21,013,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 435.1% in the 4th quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 43,011 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,265,000 after purchasing an additional 34,973 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 93.0% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 964,973 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $88,170,000 after purchasing an additional 465,100 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citizens Jmp lowered 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. BTIG Research decreased their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $115.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Truist Financial raised shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $82.00 price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $96.28.

Key Kratos Defense & Security Solutions News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Kratos announced/was highlighted for multiple new defense contract wins spanning rocket motors, missile-defense infrastructure, unmanned aircraft, and secure communications, reinforcing its growth outlook and broader international footprint. Kratos Contract Wins Signal Shift Toward Broader Global Defense Role
• Positive Sentiment: Kratos is being viewed as a beneficiary of a defense-budget proposal and expanding Pentagon spending priorities, which can lift expectations for future orders across drones, hypersonics, and related defense systems. Defense Budget Proposal Fuels Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (KTOS) Stock Surge
• Positive Sentiment: Recent articles emphasized Kratos’ roughly $14.3 billion pipeline and expansion across drones, hypersonics, and satellite systems, suggesting continued revenue opportunities beyond the latest quarter. KTOS Stock Declines 6% in a Month: Opportunity or Warning Sign?
• Neutral Sentiment: Post-earnings coverage noted that investors are still evaluating whether the stock’s recent run is justified by earnings estimates and forward guidance rather than just momentum. Why Is Kratos (KTOS) Up 11.2% Since Last Earnings Report?
• Negative Sentiment: CFO Deanna Lund sold 5,000 shares in a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 transaction, which can add mild pressure to sentiment even though the sale was planned and relatively small versus her remaining stake. Deanna Lund Sells 5,000 Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Stock

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Performance

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock opened at $58.52 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 5.63, a quick ratio of 5.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 1 year low of $37.90 and a 1 year high of $134.00. The company has a market cap of $10.97 billion, a PE ratio of 344.24 and a beta of 1.04. The company’s 50-day moving average is $63.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $80.64.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last released its 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 net margin of 2.08% and a return on equity of 2.82%. The company had revenue of $371.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $345.00 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.12 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 22.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, Director William A. Hoglund sold 30,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.19, for a total transaction of $2,171,295.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 252,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,975,475. This represents a 10.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Jonah Adelman sold 31,348 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.06, for a total transaction of $1,788,716.88. Following the transaction, the insider owned 8,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $456,480. The trade was a 79.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 183,564 shares of company stock worth $12,745,304. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

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.