Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, thirteen have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $82.5294.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $70.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, September 26th. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $80.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Thursday, November 6th. JMP Securities boosted their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $70.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 2nd. Finally, BTIG Research raised their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th.

Insider Activity at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In related news, Director Scott I. Anderson sold 15,401 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.51, for a total value of $1,147,528.51. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 66,334 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,942,546.34. The trade was a 18.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Eric M. Demarco sold 200,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.09, for a total value of $14,818,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,196,237 shares in the company, valued at $88,629,199.33. This represents a 14.32% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 672,711 shares of company stock valued at $51,836,005. 2.37% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 29.6% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,086,494 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $236,268,000 after acquiring an additional 1,162,577 shares in the last quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC increased its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 22.2% during the 2nd quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 4,507,692 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $209,382,000 after purchasing an additional 818,104 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 8.3% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,949,763 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $183,490,000 after purchasing an additional 301,135 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 29.5% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,068,863 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $280,402,000 after purchasing an additional 698,778 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7.4% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,046,194 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $278,331,000 after buying an additional 209,189 shares in the last quarter. 75.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Price Performance

Shares of KTOS opened at $82.30 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 3.68, a current ratio of 4.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has a twelve month low of $23.90 and a twelve month high of $112.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 633.13 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a 50 day moving average of $78.99 and a 200-day moving average of $69.10.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.12 by $0.02. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 3.14% and a net margin of 1.56%.The firm had revenue of $347.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $323.01 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.11 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 26.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions will post 0.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Company Profile

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.