California Public Employees Retirement System Grows Holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS

California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) by 8.0% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 316,760 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 23,552 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions were worth $22,335,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of KTOS. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp increased its position 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 valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 380 shares during the period. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp increased its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 115.4% in the 4th quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp now owns 420 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the period. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 75.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Kratos won an approximately $156 million sole-source, single-award IDIQ contract from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration Office of Secure Transportation to supply mobile counter-unmanned aircraft systems for “Project Solar Shield,” a meaningful revenue boost and validation of its defense technology. Article title
• Positive Sentiment: Several news items highlighted Kratos as one of the leading drone-defense and aerospace contractors, suggesting investors are focused on its exposure to rising global defense spending and growing demand for counter-drone systems. Article title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst-style pieces compared KTOS with peers like L3Harris and Ondas, but these were more valuation and strategy debates than new company-specific catalysts. Article title
• Neutral Sentiment: One valuation-focused article said Kratos looks fairly valued on cash flow but expensive on sales, which may temper some upside enthusiasm but does not change the core contract-driven momentum. Article title
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader defense-sector coverage pointed to strong drone demand across the industry, reinforcing the theme behind KTOS’s move rather than adding a separate catalyst. Article title

Insider Activity at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, insider David M. Carter sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.45, for a total transaction of $201,800.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 66,238 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,341,707.10. The trade was a 5.69% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Stacey G. Rock sold 4,675 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $233,750.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,600 shares in the company, valued at approximately $480,000. This trade represents a 32.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 148,036 shares of company stock worth $8,455,857. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Down 0.7%

KTOS opened at $47.89 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 5.63 and a quick ratio of 5.08. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $53.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $75.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 281.71 and a beta of 1.07. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 12 month low of $45.58 and a 12 month high of $134.00.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $371.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $345.00 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 2.82% and a net margin of 2.08%.Kratos Defense & Security Solutions’s quarterly revenue was up 22.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.12 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Citizens Jmp lowered their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $125.00 to $105.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Wedbush began coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $85.00 price target for the company. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $82.00 price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Clear Str raised shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $80.00 price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $101.29.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions 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.