Short Interest in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) Expands By 18.4%

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) was the target of a large increase in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 9,127,940 shares, an increase of 18.4% from the February 26th total of 7,708,615 shares. Approximately 5.0% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 5,667,117 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.6 days.

Insider Transactions at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, insider Thomas E. Iv Mills sold 8,523 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.98, for a total transaction of $792,468.54. Following the transaction, the insider owned 9,802 shares in the company, valued at approximately $911,389.96. This represents a 46.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Eric M. Demarco sold 191,699 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.28, for a total transaction of $17,306,585.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 687,117 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $62,032,922.76. This represents a 21.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 373,500 shares of company stock valued at $34,826,678. Insiders own 2.37% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp boosted its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7,600.0% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 385 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 380 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the third quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the third quarter valued at about $32,000. 75.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:KTOS traded up $5.23 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $70.51. The company had a trading volume of 6,098,742 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,004,179. The company has a market cap of $13.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 542.43 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 4.06 and a quick ratio of 3.46. The company has a fifty day moving average of $92.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $88.16. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has a 12-month low of $25.78 and a 12-month high of $134.00.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on KTOS. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. JonesTrading initiated coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Monday, January 5th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $99.00 target price on the stock. B. Riley Financial raised their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $105.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $112.00 to $134.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $98.28.

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.