ARS Investment Partners LLC Sells 34,567 Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS

ARS Investment Partners LLC lowered its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) by 27.8% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 89,973 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 34,567 shares during the quarter. ARS Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions were worth $6,344,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Greenleaf Trust raised its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 3,830 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $291,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. LVW Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. LVW Advisors LLC now owns 3,665 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $278,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co grew its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,698 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $129,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 5,918 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $449,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,945 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $148,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, Director Scot B. Jarvis sold 5,417 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.90, for a total value of $411,150.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 75,123 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,701,835.70. The trade was a 6.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Phillip D. Carrai sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.72, for a total transaction of $485,680.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 227,898 shares in the company, valued at $17,028,538.56. This represents a 2.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 196,278 shares of company stock worth $12,428,868 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Price Performance

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock opened at $54.21 on Friday. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 12 month low of $39.00 and a 12 month high of $134.00. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $60.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $79.44. The company has a current ratio of 5.63, a quick ratio of 5.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The firm has a market cap of $10.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 318.88 and a beta of 1.04.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.03. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 2.82% and a net margin of 2.08%.The firm had revenue of $371.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $345.00 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.12 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 22.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Kratos is being viewed as a possible winner from higher defense spending and urgent U.S. military demand for more munitions, missiles, and propulsion systems. Can Kratos Defense Become a Major Beneficiary of Rising Missile Demand?
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s autonomous trucking milestone added to investor interest by showcasing execution on advanced unmanned and logistics technology. Kratos (KTOS) Stock Trades Up, Here Is Why
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains mixed-to-positive overall, with several firms maintaining buy-like views, though some recently lowered price targets.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider sales by senior executives, including Marie Mendoza and Phillip Carrai, may be creating some caution among investors even though the trades were pre-planned under 10b5-1 programs.
• Negative Sentiment: A separate article flagged KTOS as a “cash-burning” stock to watch, reinforcing concerns about valuation and the company’s ability to justify its premium multiple if growth cools.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citizens Jmp lowered their price target on 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. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $82.00 price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $80.00 target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Sunday, May 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $99.00 to $75.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $101.35.

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.