Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS Position Cut by Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC

Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC decreased its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) by 25.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 155,026 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 53,974 shares during the quarter. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions comprises about 1.5% of Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC’s holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions were worth $10,931,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 48.0% in the 1st quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 27,096 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,911,000 after acquiring an additional 8,787 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp lifted its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 19.5% in the 1st quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 8,442 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $595,000 after purchasing an additional 1,380 shares during the last quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System boosted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 11.3% during the 1st quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 44,400 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $3,131,000 after purchasing an additional 4,500 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 48.0% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,056,872 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $74,520,000 after purchasing an additional 342,789 shares during the period. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky boosted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 9.6% during the 1st quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 57,112 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $4,027,000 after purchasing an additional 5,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Jonah Adelman sold 31,348 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.06, for a total value of $1,788,716.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 8,000 shares in the company, valued at $456,480. This represents a 79.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Phillip D. Carrai sold 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.13, for a total value of $338,845.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 221,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,549,401.50. This represents a 2.85% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 153,453 shares of company stock worth $8,867,008 in the last quarter. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Trading Up 7.2%

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock opened at $50.36 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $54.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $76.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 5.63 and a quick ratio of 5.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.44 billion, a PE ratio of 296.24 and a beta of 1.07. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 12-month low of $46.01 and a 12-month high of $134.00.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $0.16 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 business had revenue of $371.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $345.00 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.12 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on KTOS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $99.00 to $82.00 in a research note on Friday, June 12th. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Clear Str upgraded Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $80.00 price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $100.00 to $89.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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: Kratos secured approximately $400 million in new Department of Defense funding for hypersonic system and other national security programs, a meaningful boost to backlog and near-term growth expectations. Kratos Receives Approximately $400 Million in New Funding for Hypersonic System and Other Programs
• Positive Sentiment: The company announced an additional approximate $100 million sole-source prime contract for a ground-based modular space domain awareness system, expanding its role in space and advanced defense programs. Kratos Receives Approximate $100 Million Sole Source Prime Space Domain Awareness System Program Award
• Positive Sentiment: Kratos is benefiting from broader defense spending and U.S. industrial base expansion, which could create more opportunities for manufacturing and supply-chain-driven contract wins. How Is KTOS Benefiting From the US Defense Industrial Base Expansion?
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary also highlighted rising interest in drone and autonomous warfare stocks amid geopolitical tensions, which is adding attention to the defense sector generally. Drone Stocks Are Back In Play: Why RCAT, AVAV, KTOS, UMAC Stocks Are Climbing
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and media coverage have also framed KTOS as a defense name to watch as NATO and U.S. allies increase spending, but this is more of a sector tailwind than a company-specific catalyst. $50 Billion Is About to Flood Into Defense Stocks: Here’s Who Cashes In

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.