Stephens Investment Management Group LLC Trims Stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS

Stephens Investment Management Group LLC decreased its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) by 48.0% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,341,064 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 1,238,417 shares during the quarter. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions accounts for about 1.6% of Stephens Investment Management Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC’s holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions were worth $122,533,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV acquired a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the third quarter worth $1,511,000. Copperleaf Capital LLC bought a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the third quarter valued at $1,185,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 164.4% during the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 1,766 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $161,000 after acquiring an additional 1,098 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR raised its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 15.0% in the 3rd quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 353,932 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $32,349,000 after acquiring an additional 46,094 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 3rd quarter worth about $315,000. 75.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:KTOS opened at $130.72 on Friday. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a twelve month low of $23.90 and a twelve month high of $132.00. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $82.25 and its 200-day moving average is $75.44. 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 firm has a market capitalization 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 results on Tuesday, November 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.02. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a net margin of 1.56% and a return on equity of 3.14%. The business had revenue of $347.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $323.01 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.11 EPS. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions’s quarterly revenue was up 26.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KTOS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Citizens Jmp raised their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $80.00 price objective for the company. KeyCorp started coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $90.00 price objective for the company. Jones Trading assumed coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Monday, January 5th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, JMP Securities raised their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $70.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $87.94.

Insider Activity at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, Director Scot B. Jarvis sold 5,000 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.18, for a total transaction of $600,900.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 105,417 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,669,015.06. The trade was a 4.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider David M. Carter sold 8,123 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.40, for a total transaction of $856,164.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 81,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,623,406.40. The trade was a 9.03% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 911,815 shares of company stock valued at $74,226,491 over the last quarter. 2.37% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions News Roundup

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.