Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Shares Up 3.7% on Analyst Upgrade

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) was up 3.7% on Monday after Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on the stock from $112.00 to $134.00. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a buy rating on the stock. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions traded as high as $119.63 and last traded at $117.86. Approximately 5,016,997 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 4% from the average daily volume of 4,840,201 shares. The stock had previously closed at $113.70.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Monday. JMP Securities boosted their price objective on 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. Jones Trading started coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Monday, January 5th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. KeyCorp started coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Thursday, December 18th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $90.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $74.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $87.94.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider David M. Carter sold 8,123 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.40, for a total transaction of $856,164.20. Following the sale, the insider owned 81,816 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,623,406.40. This represents a 9.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Thomas E. Iv Mills sold 8,523 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.98, for a total value of $792,468.54. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,802 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $911,389.96. This trade represents a 46.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 898,639 shares of company stock valued at $72,622,719 over the last 90 days. 2.37% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Kratos opened a new 55,000‑sq‑ft hypersonic system manufacturing and payload integration facility in Princess Anne, MD to support MACH‑TB 2.0 and government customers (Navy, USAF, DARPA, MDA). This expands production capacity and positions Kratos for larger hypersonic program revenue. Kratos hypersonic facility
• Positive Sentiment: Kratos expanded its U.S. industrial footprint with a new 40,000‑sq‑ft Birmingham facility, further building out production capacity for defense programs and supporting backlog growth. Birmingham expansion
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade/price‑target lift — Citizens Jmp raised its target from $105 to $125 and maintained a “market outperform” view, providing an analyst‑driven near‑term catalyst for demand. Analyst price target raise
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short interest shows effectively zero shares and a 0.0 days‑to‑cover figure — likely a reporting anomaly rather than a real change in short positioning. (No external link)
• Negative Sentiment: Material insider selling — Director/insider Stacey G. Rock disclosed sales (4,000 shares at ~$105.37 and 16,568 shares at ~$116.74), reducing her stake significantly; large, recent insider sales can weigh on sentiment even if they’re for personal/liquidity reasons. SEC filing: SEC filing and coverage: Insider sells coverage

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KTOS. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the fourth quarter worth $76,000. Foster Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at about $245,000. Appleton Partners Inc. MA increased its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 8.3% during the 4th quarter. Appleton Partners Inc. MA now owns 148,287 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $11,256,000 after purchasing an additional 11,424 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 152.4% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 91,486 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $6,945,000 after purchasing an additional 55,241 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,806,000. 75.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 4.30, a quick ratio of 3.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 920.99 and a beta of 1.09. The company’s 50 day moving average is $79.27 and its 200-day moving average is $74.18.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.14 earnings per share (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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $323.01 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.11 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 earnings per share 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.