Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS Shares Sold by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company trimmed its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) by 13.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 145,729 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 21,706 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned 0.08% of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions worth $10,275,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KTOS. Greenleaf Trust lifted its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 3,830 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $291,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co grew its holdings in 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 valued at $129,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its position in 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 worth $449,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in 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 worth $148,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC raised its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 37,776 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,868,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on KTOS. Wedbush assumed coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $85.00 price target on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane increased their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. BTIG Research reduced their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $115.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $101.29.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Performance

NASDAQ:KTOS opened at $49.21 on Tuesday. 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 capitalization of $9.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 289.47 and a beta of 1.08. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $52.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $72.13. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a twelve month low of $43.09 and a twelve month high of $134.00.

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 the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $345.00 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.12 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 22.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, insider Stacey G. Rock sold 4,675 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $233,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 9,600 shares in the company, valued at $480,000. This represents a 32.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Steven S. Fendley sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.13, for a total value of $329,910.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 295,120 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,909,005.60. This represents a 2.32% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 139,036 shares of company stock valued at $7,799,667. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.