Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. Has $2.46 Million Holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS

Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) by 53.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 34,942 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,212 shares during the period. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd.’s holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions were worth $2,464,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 48.0% in the first quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 27,096 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,911,000 after purchasing an additional 8,787 shares in the last quarter. Sigma Planning Corp boosted its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 19.5% during the 1st quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 8,442 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $595,000 after acquiring an additional 1,380 shares during the period. State of Michigan Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 11.3% during the 1st quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 44,400 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,131,000 after buying an additional 4,500 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 48.0% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,056,872 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $74,520,000 after acquiring an additional 342,789 shares during the period. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky grew its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 9.6% in the 1st quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 57,112 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $4,027,000 after buying an additional 5,000 shares in the last quarter. 75.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Kratos Defense & Security Solutions News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Kratos announced a new 167,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in York, Pennsylvania, expanding its production footprint and boosting capacity for military-grade hardware used in hypersonic, air defense, missile, radar, and counter-UAS programs. The company also plans to invest more than $7 million in new equipment, which should improve throughput and support future defense orders. Kratos Opens New 167,000-Square-Foot Manufacturing Facility in Pennsylvania, Expanding Existing Footprint in the State
• Positive Sentiment: The new facility follows news that Kratos received approximately $400 million in Department of War funding tied to hypersonic systems and other national security programs, a major contract/funding win that improves backlog visibility and strengthens the company’s growth outlook. Kratos Receives Approximately $400 Million in New Funding for Hypersonic System and Other Programs
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary also remained constructive, with a Seeking Alpha piece arguing that Kratos’ valuation is supported by strong backlog, book-to-bill trends, and multi-year growth visibility, while Jim Cramer reportedly reiterated a bullish view in a lightning round appearance. Kratos: The Numbers That Matter Aren’t The Ones You’re Watching
• Neutral Sentiment: There is also ongoing investor attention on insider selling over the past several months, which may temper enthusiasm even as the company’s operating momentum improves.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Performance

NASDAQ:KTOS opened at $49.68 on Thursday. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 1 year low of $46.01 and a 1 year high of $134.00. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $54.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $76.18. The company has a market capitalization of $9.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 292.24 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 5.63 and a quick ratio of 5.08.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $371.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $345.00 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.12 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 22.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Phillip D. Carrai sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.13, for a total value of $338,845.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 221,550 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,549,401.50. The trade was a 2.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Steven S. Fendley sold 35,000 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.23, for a total value of $2,038,050.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 309,087 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,998,136.01. This trade represents a 10.17% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 148,036 shares of company stock valued at $8,455,857 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on KTOS shares. Wedbush started coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $85.00 price target on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Citizens Jmp decreased their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $125.00 to $105.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $100.00 to $89.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Three equities research 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $101.29.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions 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.