ARK Investment Management LLC Sells 903,364 Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS

ARK Investment Management LLC trimmed its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) by 20.0% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 3,604,328 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 903,364 shares during the period. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions makes up about 2.0% of ARK Investment Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 14th largest holding. ARK Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions were worth $329,327,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of KTOS. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the third quarter valued at about $32,000. Caitlin John LLC bought a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the third quarter worth about $32,000. Whittier Trust Co. acquired a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 193.5% during the 3rd quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 408 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 269 shares during the period. Finally, CI Investments Inc. grew its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 142.7% in the 3rd quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 432 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. 75.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

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

• Positive Sentiment: Kratos’ OpenSpace software platform has been deployed as the core of SSC Space Go, a new global small-satellite data delivery service—this boosts recurring-software revenue exposure and highlights commercial traction for Kratos’ space-ground stack. Kratos OpenSpace Deal With SSC Links Growth Story To Lofty Valuation
• Positive Sentiment: Kratos announced an approximate $7 million production contract award for a Counter-UAS system (detection, tracking, classification), a follow-on to its long-term C‑UAS production work — a near-term revenue win and proof point for its tactical air-defense product lines. Kratos Receives $7 Million Order for Counter-UAS Systems
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector / thematic coverage highlights Kratos as a high‑growth, high‑valuation pure‑play in unmanned systems and attritable aircraft; the piece reiterates why investors are excited (large addressable markets) but also notes recent equity raises to fund scaling, which can be dilutive or supportive depending on contract execution. Unmanned Profits: The New Kings of the Modern Battlefield (Market thematic)
• Negative Sentiment: CFO Deanna H. Lund sold 5,000 shares at an average price of $91.28 (SEC filing disclosed). Insider sells can weigh on sentiment even if they are routine or for diversification/liquidity reasons. SEC Filing – Deanna Lund Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Another insider, Thomas E. Iv Mills, disclosed a sale of 5,758 shares at about $91.26, reducing his stake by ~58%—a larger percentage reduction that may raise more investor scrutiny. SEC Filing – Thomas E. Iv Mills Sale

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on KTOS. Piper Sandler began coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $99.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. B. Riley Financial upped their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $105.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Citizens Jmp boosted their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, JonesTrading assumed coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Monday, January 5th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $98.28.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of KTOS opened at $89.13 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $98.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $85.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 685.67 and a beta of 1.12. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 52 week low of $25.78 and a 52 week high of $134.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 3.46 and a current ratio of 4.06.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The aerospace company reported $0.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $345.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $327.51 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 3.34% and a net margin of 1.63%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 21.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.13 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Thomas E. Iv Mills sold 8,523 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.98, for a total transaction of $792,468.54. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 9,802 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $911,389.96. The trade was a 46.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Stacey G. Rock sold 16,568 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction on Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.74, for a total value of $1,934,148.32. Following the sale, the insider directly 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 568,665 shares of company stock worth $49,936,318. 2.37% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.