Phillip Carrai Sells 26,500 Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Stock

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) insider Phillip Carrai sold 26,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.25, for a total transaction of $1,676,125.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 182,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,516,813. The trade was a 12.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Price Performance

NASDAQ:KTOS opened at $56.18 on Friday. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 52 week low of $43.09 and a 52 week high of $134.00. The firm has a market cap of $10.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 330.47 and a beta of 1.08. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $52.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $66.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 4.99 and a current ratio of 5.54.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.07. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a net margin of 2.03% and a return on equity of 3.07%. The business had revenue of $458.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $410.36 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.11 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 30.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on KTOS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $99.00 to $82.00 in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $135.00 to $104.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Wedbush initiated coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $85.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $100.00 to $80.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, BTIG Research raised their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $99.47.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Kratos received multi-million-dollar orders through its Orbit subsidiary for GAIA 100 tri-band satellite ground-station systems. The orders support demand for the company’s space communications and tracking technologies. Kratos Receives Multi-Million-Dollar Orders for GAIA 100 Tri-Band Ground Station Systems
• Positive Sentiment: Recent second-quarter results remained strong, with revenue up 30.5% year over year to $458.8 million and EPS of $0.21, above the $0.14 consensus estimate. Growth was broad-based across government solutions, defense rocket support, turbine technology and microwave products. Kratos: A Production Powerhouse That No Longer Feels Speculative
• Neutral Sentiment: Kratos’ backlog, capacity expansion and exposure to unmanned systems, hypersonics and satellite communications support its long-term growth outlook. However, investors are demanding continued execution and margin improvement, while the stock’s elevated earnings multiple leaves limited room for disappointment.
• Neutral Sentiment: China reportedly asked the United States to remove new tariffs on drones and related components. The development highlights ongoing trade-policy uncertainty for defense and drone companies, although its direct effect on Kratos is unclear. China Reportedly Presses U.S. to Scrap Drone Tariffs
• Negative Sentiment: Insiders have reported numerous sales and no open-market purchases over the past six months. Recent transactions included Phillip Carrai’s sale of 26,500 shares and SVP Marie Mendoza’s sale of 1,513 shares. Both were made under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, reducing their value as discretionary bearish signals, but the selling can still weigh on sentiment. Kratos Insider Selling
• Negative Sentiment: Institutional positioning was mixed in the latest quarter, with more funds reducing positions than adding shares. Large reductions by BlackRock, Franklin Resources and other managers may reinforce short-term selling pressure.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7,600.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp raised its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 115.4% during the 4th quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp now owns 420 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Vision Retirement LLC lifted its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 288.2% during the 1st quarter. Vision Retirement LLC now owns 427 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 317 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. 75.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.