Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS Position Lowered by Castleark Management LLC

Castleark Management LLC trimmed its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) by 28.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 109,634 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 43,270 shares during the period. Castleark Management LLC’s holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions were worth $7,730,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7,600.0% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 385 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 380 shares in the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp grew its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 115.4% in the 4th quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp now owns 420 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Vision Retirement LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 288.2% in the 1st quarter. Vision Retirement LLC now owns 427 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 75.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Performance

KTOS stock opened at $47.35 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 5.08 and a current ratio of 5.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 278.53 and a beta of 1.07. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 1 year low of $45.58 and a 1 year high of $134.00. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $53.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $74.63.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $371.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $345.00 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a net margin of 2.08% and a return on equity of 2.82%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 22.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.12 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.48 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on KTOS. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $82.00 price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $100.00 to $80.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. BTIG Research lowered their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $115.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Clear Str raised shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $101.29.

Insider Activity

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, insider Stacey G. Rock sold 4,675 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $233,750.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 9,600 shares in the company, valued at approximately $480,000. This trade represents a 32.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Deanna H. Lund sold 5,000 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.10, for a total value of $310,500.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 295,200 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,331,920. This trade represents a 1.67% 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 141,036 shares of company stock worth $8,024,377 over the last three months. 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.