Appleton Partners Inc. MA Has $11.26 Million Stock Position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS

Appleton Partners Inc. MA boosted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) by 8.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 148,287 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,424 shares during the quarter. Appleton Partners Inc. MA owned about 0.09% of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions worth $11,256,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of KTOS. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 1,389.0% during the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,707,776 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $247,409,000 after acquiring an additional 2,525,921 shares during the period. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP bought a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the third quarter valued at approximately $91,901,000. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 29.5% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,068,863 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $280,402,000 after acquiring an additional 698,778 shares during the last quarter. Seven Grand Managers LLC acquired a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the second quarter valued at approximately $23,225,000. Finally, Sapient Capital LLC acquired a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the third quarter valued at approximately $41,401,000. 75.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In related news, CEO Eric M. Demarco sold 191,699 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.28, for a total value of $17,306,585.72. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 687,117 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $62,032,922.76. The trade was a 21.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider David M. Carter sold 8,123 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider owned 81,816 shares in the company, valued at $8,623,406.40. The trade was a 9.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 371,500 shares of company stock valued at $34,664,848 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 2.37% of the company’s stock.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Trading Down 1.1%

KTOS opened at $83.69 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 4.06 and a quick ratio of 3.46. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $25.78 and a fifty-two week high of $134.00. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $98.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $87.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 643.82 and a beta of 1.12.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $90.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. UBS Group began coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $79.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Noble Financial reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $98.28.

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.