B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Makes New Investment in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG acquired a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 23,988 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,821,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KTOS. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP acquired a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth $91,901,000. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 29.5% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,068,863 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $280,402,000 after acquiring an additional 698,778 shares in the last quarter. Sapient Capital LLC acquired a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth $41,401,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 93.0% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 964,973 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $88,170,000 after acquiring an additional 465,100 shares in the last quarter. 75.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Trading Down 6.5%

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock opened at $61.26 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $81.26 and its 200-day moving average is $86.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 3.46 and a current ratio of 4.06. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 1 year low of $32.63 and a 1 year high of $134.00. The company has a market cap of $11.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 471.27 and a beta of 1.22.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The aerospace company reported $0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $345.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $327.51 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.13 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on KTOS shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $85.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. BTIG Research raised their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $95.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $98.28.

Insider Activity

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, VP De Burgreen Maria Cervantes sold 6,270 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.29, for a total transaction of $559,848.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 59,369 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,301,058.01. The trade was a 9.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Phillip D. Carrai sold 6,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.91, for a total transaction of $590,915.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 213,325 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,393,375.75. The trade was a 2.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 174,027 shares of company stock worth $14,717,080 over the last three months. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

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.