Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Sells 72,933 Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP decreased its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) by 2.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,888,869 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 72,933 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 1.71% of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions worth $263,920,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rovida Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the second quarter valued at approximately $82,315,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 29.6% in the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,086,494 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $236,268,000 after purchasing an additional 1,162,577 shares in the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP bought a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the third quarter worth $91,901,000. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 29.1% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,370,085 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $110,090,000 after buying an additional 533,912 shares during the period. Finally, Seven Grand Managers LLC purchased a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the second quarter valued at $23,225,000. Institutional investors own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KTOS has been the topic of a number of research reports. KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $90.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $112.00 to $134.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, JonesTrading initiated coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Monday, January 5th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $98.28.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Kratos completed the cash acquisition of Israeli firm Orbit Technologies, adding capabilities and personnel that support its unmanned systems and satellite communications strategy. Kratos Defense Completes Cash Acquisition of Orbit Technologies
• Positive Sentiment: Kratos won a multi‑million dollar production contract for a Counter‑UAS system and confirmed its OpenSpace platform is deployed in SSC Space’s Space Go LEO service — tangible revenue/visibility drivers for its unmanned and space businesses. Kratos Defense Weighs New Contracts Equity Raise And OpenSpace Growth Potential
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and media lists continue to highlight KTOS as a defense/drone play; several firms maintain buy/overweight views and some raised targets recently, supporting demand from retail and institutional momentum. MarketBeat KTOS Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: The company completed a major follow‑on equity offering to fund expansion and M&A — this provides firepower for growth but introduces dilution risk investors must price in. Equity Offering and Growth Plans
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: CFO Deanna Lund and another insider disclosed sales totaling ~10k+ shares in early March, which some investors view as a near‑term negative signal. Deanna Lund Sells 5,000 Shares
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and volatility risks: KTOS trades at a very high P/E and has shown wide price swings over the past year, raising the risk that momentum reverses if execution or macro tailwinds fade. KTOS Valuation and Metrics

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Stacey G. Rock sold 16,568 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.74, for a total value of $1,934,148.32. Following the transaction, the insider owned 26,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,092,092.38. This represents a 38.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider David M. Carter sold 8,123 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.40, for a total transaction of $856,164.20. Following the sale, the insider owned 81,816 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,623,406.40. The trade was a 9.03% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 574,731 shares of company stock valued at $50,506,306. 2.37% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Trading Up 1.7%

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock opened at $87.00 on Friday. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 12 month low of $25.78 and a 12 month high of $134.00. The company has a market capitalization of $16.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 669.28 and a beta of 1.12. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $98.94 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $85.73. The company has a current ratio of 4.06, a quick ratio of 3.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The aerospace company reported $0.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.04. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 3.34% and a net margin of 1.63%.The firm had revenue of $345.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $327.51 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.13 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 21.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.