Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Given Buy Rating at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed their buy rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a $80.00 price objective on the aerospace company’s stock.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on KTOS. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Wedbush began coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $85.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $100.00 to $80.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $82.00 target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, BTIG Research cut their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $115.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.41.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Up 0.1%

KTOS opened at $50.38 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $55.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $77.27. The company has a market capitalization of $9.45 billion, a PE ratio of 296.35 and a beta of 1.07. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has a 1-year low of $43.88 and a 1-year high of $134.00. The company has a current ratio of 5.63, a quick ratio of 5.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.03. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a net margin of 2.08% and a return on equity of 2.82%. The business had revenue of $371.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $345.00 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.12 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 22.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions will post 0.48 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In related news, insider Phillip D. Carrai sold 6,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.74, for a total transaction of $375,310.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 215,052 shares in the company, valued at $12,417,102.48. The trade was a 2.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Steven S. Fendley sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.37, for a total value of $338,590.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 302,126 shares in the company, valued at $14,613,834.62. The trade was a 2.26% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders sold 157,453 shares of company stock valued at $9,264,423. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7,600.0% in the fourth quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 385 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 380 shares in the last quarter. Vision Retirement LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 288.2% in the first quarter. Vision Retirement LLC now owns 427 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies reaffirmed its Buy rating on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (KTOS) and raised its price target to $80, implying meaningful upside from current levels. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighted Kratos as a beneficiary of growing defense backlogs and funded contracts, suggesting demand remains strong even though drone stocks have been weak this year. Article
• Positive Sentiment: Kratos won an approximately $36 million sole-source contract for a new air defense missile system, which adds to its defense backlog and supports near-term revenue visibility. Article
• Positive Sentiment: The company expanded its Oklahoma City manufacturing campus by more than 100,000 square feet to increase production of its Valkyrie and other drone systems, signaling confidence in rising demand and longer-term growth. Article
• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush recently initiated coverage with an Outperform rating and an $85 price target, adding to the bullish analyst backdrop around KTOS. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional commentary suggested Kratos could benefit from a larger Pentagon-related defense opportunity and from a history of beating earnings estimates, but these were more thematic than company-specific catalysts. Article

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.