Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $87.9444.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on KTOS. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $112.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. JMP Securities boosted their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $70.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Monday, January 12th. Truist Financial set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $74.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, insider Stacey G. Rock sold 16,568 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.74, for a total transaction of $1,934,148.32. Following the transaction, the insider owned 26,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,092,092.38. This trade represents a 38.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director William A. Hoglund sold 75,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.35, for a total value of $5,576,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 147,193 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,943,799.55. The trade was a 33.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 911,815 shares of company stock valued at $74,226,491 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 2.37% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 1,162,577 shares during the last quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 818,104 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 301,135 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 29.5% during the third 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 period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 209,189 shares in the last quarter. 75.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Up 4.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:KTOS opened at $130.72 on Friday. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has a fifty-two week low of $23.90 and a fifty-two week high of $132.00. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $82.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $75.67. The company has a quick ratio of 3.68, a current ratio of 4.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The stock has a market cap of $22.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1,005.62 and a beta of 1.09.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $347.60 million for 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 26.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.11 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Trending Headlines about Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst momentum — KTOS received an analyst upgrade that drove positive headlines and upward price-target revisions, supporting buying interest. Article Title Price target story
• Positive Sentiment: New hypersonics manufacturing capacity — Kratos opened a 55,000 sq. ft. hypersonic system manufacturing facility, a tangible expansion of production capability that strengthens its position on next‑gen defense programs. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Defense spending tailwind — Analysts note Kratos could benefit from a proposed increase in U.S. defense budgets, which would boost demand for unmanned systems, hypersonics and other programs where Kratos has exposure. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent fundamentals — Last reported quarter (Nov) showed revenue and EPS beats with year‑over‑year revenue growth, which underpins the bullish analyst views but is already priced in to some extent.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale — Director Scot B. Jarvis sold 5,000 shares at an average of $120.18 (≈$600,900). The sale trimmed his stake by ~4.5%. SEC filing: Jarvis filing
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale — SVP Marie Mendoza sold 1,676 shares at about $120.18 (~$201,422), a ~2.6% reduction in her holdings. SEC filing: Mendoza filing
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale — Insider Phillip D. Carrai sold 6,500 shares at an average of $123.30 (~$801,450), reducing his stake by ~2.9%. SEC filing: Carrai filing

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.