Insider Selling: Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) SVP Sells $97,391.81 in Stock

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) SVP Marie Mendoza sold 1,513 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.37, for a total transaction of $97,391.81. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 61,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,989,395.12. This represents a 2.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Marie Mendoza also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, June 15th, Marie Mendoza sold 1,500 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.93, for a total transaction of $86,895.00.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Trading Up 1.8%

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock opened at $57.17 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 4.99, a current ratio of 5.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $52.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $66.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 336.29 and a beta of 1.08. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 52-week low of $43.09 and a 52-week high of $134.00.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $458.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $410.36 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a net margin of 2.03% and a return on equity of 3.07%. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions’s revenue was up 30.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.11 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the second quarter valued at $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7,600.0% in the fourth quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 385 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 380 shares in the last quarter. Vision Retirement LLC raised its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 288.2% in the first quarter. Vision Retirement LLC now owns 427 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the second quarter worth about $31,000. 75.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Kratos Defense & Security Solutions News

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

• Positive Sentiment: President Trump’s new tariffs on foreign drones and related components could give U.S. manufacturers, including Kratos, a competitive policy advantage by redirecting demand toward domestic suppliers. China’s objections to the tariffs underscore the potential importance of the measure. Trump’s New Drone Tariffs Give AeroVironment, Kratos and Red Cat a Policy Tailwind
• Positive Sentiment: Investor focus remains on Kratos’ expansion phase. The company reportedly has a $2.08 billion backlog and is increasing production capacity through 2028 to meet defense demand, particularly in unmanned systems, hypersonics and satellite communications. Is Kratos Defense Entering the Scale-Up Phase of Defense Modernization?
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results provide fundamental support: revenue rose 30.5% year over year to $458.8 million, while EPS of $0.21 exceeded the $0.14 consensus estimate. The strong results and ongoing defense modernization demand help explain renewed interest in KTOS. Drone Trade Rebound
• Neutral Sentiment: The broader drone-stock rebound may be fragile after a sharp selloff, leaving KTOS vulnerable to continued volatility and profit-taking.
• Negative Sentiment: Director Scot Jarvis sold 10,000 shares for approximately $635,000, following other insider sales. The transaction was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing its value as a discretionary bearish signal, but the lack of reported open-market insider purchases may weigh on sentiment. Scot Jarvis Insider Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Kratos trades at a very elevated earnings multiple, so investors may demand sustained growth, production execution and margin improvement. Any disappointment could have an outsized effect on the stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KTOS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings lowered Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a “hold (c)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $134.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Clear Str raised shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Citizens Jmp decreased their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $125.00 to $105.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $105.00 target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $99.47.

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.