Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Stock Price Target Lowered at Guggenheim

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) had its price objective dropped by stock analysts at Guggenheim from $74.00 to $67.00 in a research note issued on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the aerospace company’s stock. Guggenheim‘s target price points to a potential upside of 76.54% from the company’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Research raised Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $80.00 to $55.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $50.00 price target on the stock. Citizens Jmp reduced their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $105.00 to $70.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 19th. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Friday, October 9th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $90.00 price objective for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $80.45.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ KTOS traded up $2.85 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $37.95. 1,533,689 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,388,365. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $43.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $62.56. The stock has a market cap of $7.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 314.86 and a beta of 1.18. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has a one year low of $31.57 and a one year high of $134.00. The company has a quick ratio of 4.87, a current ratio of 5.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The aerospace company reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.03. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a net margin of 1.34% and a return on equity of 3.18%. The company had revenue of $471.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $471.40 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.14 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 35.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions will post 0.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Scot B. Jarvis sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.50, for a total value of $635,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 65,123 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,135,310.50. This represents a 13.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Eric Demarco sold 300,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.33, for a total value of $19,299,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 761,632 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,995,786.56. This trade represents a 28.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 373,013 shares of company stock worth $23,340,582. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KTOS. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 61.9% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 696 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares during the last quarter. Vision Retirement LLC boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 317 shares during the last quarter. Ranch Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. Ranch Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 6,553 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $462,000 after purchasing an additional 318 shares during the last quarter. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 128.9% in the 3rd quarter. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 744 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 419 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 427.0% during the first quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 527 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 427 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

About Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions is a defense technology company that develops products and services for U.S. government agencies, national security organizations, and allied governments. Its work spans unmanned systems, satellite communications, microwave electronics, command-and-control systems, and training and simulation.

The company’s offerings include unmanned aerial vehicles and target drones, as well as systems and components used in space and satellite communications and other defense applications.