Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Upgraded by Truist Financial to Strong-Buy Rating

Truist Financial upgraded shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) to a strong-buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Noble Financial reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. B. Riley Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $105.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $99.00 price objective on the stock. Clear Str raised shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, JonesTrading 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $98.28.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Price Performance

NASDAQ:KTOS traded down $1.00 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $62.05. The stock had a trading volume of 2,571,214 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,478,930. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $78.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $85.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.63 billion, a PE ratio of 477.34 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 4.06 and a quick ratio of 3.46. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has a 12 month low of $32.85 and a 12 month high of $134.00.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 23rd. The aerospace company reported $0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $345.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $327.51 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a net margin of 1.63% and a return on equity of 3.34%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 21.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.13 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions will post 0.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Phillip D. Carrai sold 6,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.72, for a total value of $485,680.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 227,898 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,028,538.56. The trade was a 2.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Scot B. Jarvis sold 5,417 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.90, for a total transaction of $411,150.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 75,123 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,701,835.70. The trade was a 6.73% 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. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 173,027 shares of company stock valued at $14,045,490. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Amalgamated Bank lifted its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 57.7% in the third quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 73,673 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $6,732,000 after buying an additional 26,946 shares during the period. Mission Wealth Management LP acquired a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the third quarter valued at $1,828,000. Baillie Gifford & Co. acquired a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the third quarter valued at $19,048,000. M&T Bank Corp lifted its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 6,900.4% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 176,831 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $13,423,000 after buying an additional 174,305 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the third quarter valued at $21,013,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

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.