Baillie Gifford & Co. bought a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS – Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 208,466 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,048,000. Baillie Gifford & Co. owned 0.12% of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions as of its most recent filing with the SEC.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of KTOS. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 3rd quarter valued at $51,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. purchased a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the second quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 129.0% during the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 893 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 503 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.92% of the company’s stock.
Insider Activity
In related news, insider David M. Carter sold 8,123 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.40, for a total value of $856,164.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 81,816 shares in the company, valued at $8,623,406.40. The trade was a 9.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Stacey G. Rock sold 16,568 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.74, for a total transaction of $1,934,148.32. Following the sale, the insider owned 26,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,092,092.38. This represents a 38.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 911,815 shares of company stock valued at $74,226,491 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 2.37% of the company’s stock.
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Trading Down 3.0%
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.02. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a net margin of 1.56% and a return on equity of 3.14%. The business had revenue of $347.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $323.01 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.11 EPS. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of equities analysts have commented on KTOS shares. KeyCorp started coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $90.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Monday, January 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $93.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Thursday. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane set a $80.00 target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $93.06.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Kratos Defense & Security Solutions this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs reiterated a buy on KTOS, supporting investor confidence in the company’s growth trajectory and helping underpin demand for the shares. Goldman Sachs remains a buy on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (KTOS)
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts and trade press are pointing to renewed U.S. defense priorities — a sector tailwind that benefits KTOS given its defense contracting exposure and could support higher government spending. 3 Stocks Positioned to Gain From Renewed U.S. Defense Priorities
- Positive Sentiment: Noble Financial raised its FY2026 EPS forecast for KTOS and keeps an Outperform rating — an earnings-upgrade signal that supports a constructive medium-term outlook. Noble Financial raises FY2026 EPS estimate for Kratos (MarketBeat summary)
- Neutral Sentiment: Noble also published a Q1 earnings estimate update — incremental analyst modeling that investors may use to refine near-term expectations but not a major directional catalyst by itself. Q1 Earnings Estimate for KTOS Issued By Noble Financial
- Neutral Sentiment: Piper Sandler initiated coverage of KTOS with a neutral rating (new coverage can increase attention and trading volume but signals neither clear buy nor sell). Piper Sandler initiates coverage of Kratos with neutral recommendation
- Neutral Sentiment: Separately, market commentary is reassessing KTOS valuation after its recent share-price run — useful context for investors sizing positions but not an immediate transaction trigger. Assessing Kratos Valuation After Recent Share Price Surge
- Negative Sentiment: Follow-up coverage noted Piper Sandler’s $99 price target, implying downside from current levels — a concrete figure that may cap upside in the near term and weigh on sentiment. Piper Sandler PT and notes on KTOS
- Negative Sentiment: Articles highlight stretched valuation and suggest options strategies as alternatives — commentary that can prompt profit-taking or caution among growth-oriented investors. Kratos Defense: Stretched Valuation (Seeking Alpha)
- Negative Sentiment: Management remarks in Q4 were portrayed as weighing on sentiment in a fund manager letter — specific execution/communication issues can pressure short-term trading. Management remarks weighed on KTOS in Q4 (InsiderMonkey)
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.
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