Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS Stake Lessened by D.A. Davidson & CO.

D.A. Davidson & CO. lessened its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) by 29.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 32,228 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 13,166 shares during the quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions were worth $2,272,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KTOS. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 22.6% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 190,481 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $5,655,000 after purchasing an additional 35,098 shares in the last quarter. Amundi acquired a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the first quarter valued at $791,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 64.4% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,315 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 515 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 178.0% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 3,570 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $108,000 after buying an additional 2,286 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 11.7% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 393,614 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $11,686,000 after buying an additional 41,265 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ KTOS opened at $45.94 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $54.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $75.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 270.24 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 5.08, a current ratio of 5.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 52-week low of $45.58 and a 52-week high of $134.00.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.03. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 2.82% and a net margin of 2.08%.The business had revenue of $371.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $345.00 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.12 earnings per share. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions’s revenue was up 22.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In other news, insider David M. Carter sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.45, for a total transaction of $201,800.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 66,238 shares in the company, valued at $3,341,707.10. The trade was a 5.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Deanna H. Lund sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.85, for a total transaction of $264,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 285,405 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,083,654.25. This trade represents a 1.72% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 148,036 shares of company stock valued at $8,455,857. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Truist Financial upgraded shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $80.00 price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. BTIG Research dropped their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $115.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $100.00 to $89.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $101.29.

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.