Merit Financial Group LLC Invests $456,000 in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS

Merit Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 4,989 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $456,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of KTOS. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. bought a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the second quarter worth $31,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 64.4% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,315 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 515 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 129.0% in the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 893 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 503 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 2nd quarter valued at about $45,000. 75.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

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

• Positive Sentiment: Northrop Grumman selected Kratos’ Valkyrie UAS to support the Marine Corps’ Collaborative Combat Aircraft program — a strategic, high‑visibility contract that showcases Kratos’ unmanned systems capability and could drive multi‑year revenue. Northrop Grumman to Rapidly Develop Marine Corps CCA with Kratos’ Valkyrie UAS
• Positive Sentiment: Kratos publicly backed President Trump’s emphasis on reinvestment in defense (over buybacks), aligning the company with potential policy tailwinds and larger defense budgets. Kratos Applauds Focus on Reinvestment to Strengthen Defense Readiness
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst momentum and buy ratings (including a recent Jones Research buy and $150 target cited in coverage) plus institutional buying have amplified bullish investor sentiment. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock (KTOS) Opinions on Recent Price Surge and Analyst Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large options activity: elevated call buying indicates speculative bullish positioning that can amplify intraday moves. (No single article link available for the trade alert.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks notes KTOS has jumped ~35% in a month on contract wins and unmanned system demand but warns weaker ROIC and sector risks complicate optimal entry timing. Kratos Defense Stock Rises 35.3% in a Month: Here’s How to Play
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces (Seeking Alpha / Yahoo) highlight strong revenue growth guidance but reiterate that Kratos remains unprofitable with cash burn and margin pressure — important when weighing valuation. Trump’s ‘Dream Military’ Is A Game Changer For Kratos: My Volatility Playbook
• Negative Sentiment: Heavy insider selling: disclosure and data show numerous executive sales over recent months (CEO and other senior officers have sold significant positions), which can concern investors about timing and dilution. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock (KTOS) Opinions on Recent Price Surge and Analyst Rating
• Negative Sentiment: Recent SEC/filing reports show specific large insider sales (e.g., CEO sale in the millions), reinforcing near‑term selling pressure risk. Insider Selling: Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) CEO Sells $17,306,585.72 in Stock

Insider Buying and Selling at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, CEO Eric M. Demarco sold 191,699 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.28, for a total transaction of $17,306,585.72. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 687,117 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $62,032,922.76. The trade was a 21.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Deanna H. Lund sold 5,000 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.91, for a total transaction of $389,550.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 243,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,950,438.85. This represents a 2.01% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 885,511 shares of company stock worth $70,988,315 in the last ninety days. 2.37% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on KTOS. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $80.00 target price on the stock. Jones Trading initiated coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Monday, January 5th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $74.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $70.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $84.47.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Price Performance

Shares of KTOS opened at $113.70 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $19.20 billion, a PE ratio of 874.68 and a beta of 1.09. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 52-week low of $23.90 and a 52-week high of $115.45. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $78.14 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $72.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 3.68 and a current ratio of 4.30.

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