Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Rating Increased to Buy at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Monday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Jefferies Financial Group currently has $85.00 price target on the aerospace company’s stock.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. B. Riley Financial raised their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $105.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Truist Financial set a $135.00 target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Friday, January 9th. UBS Group began coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $79.00 target price for the company. JonesTrading began coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Monday, January 5th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, BTIG Research raised their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $95.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $98.28.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Trading Up 10.1%

Shares of KTOS stock opened at $74.09 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $88.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $87.97. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has a fifty-two week low of $25.78 and a fifty-two week high of $134.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 569.97 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a quick ratio of 3.46, a current ratio of 4.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last announced its 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 business had revenue of $345.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $327.51 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.13 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 21.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, Director Scot B. Jarvis sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.14, for a total transaction of $390,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 80,417 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,283,784.38. This trade represents a 5.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Deanna H. Lund sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.63, for a total value of $348,150.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 300,069 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,893,804.47. The trade was a 1.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 211,000 shares of company stock worth $19,390,027. Corporate insiders own 2.37% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Greenleaf Trust boosted its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 3,830 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $291,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. LVW Advisors LLC boosted its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. LVW Advisors LLC now owns 3,665 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $278,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co boosted its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,698 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $129,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 5,918 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $449,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the period. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,945 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $148,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. 75.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

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

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies upgraded KTOS from Hold to Buy and reiterated an $85 price target, citing stronger growth prospects in Kratos’ tactical systems and unmanned platforms. This upgrade is the main catalyst pushing the stock higher. Kratos Defense stock rises after Jefferies upgrade to buy
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies’ analyst specifically highlights upside from hypersonics and sustained missile/drone demand as key earnings and revenue drivers for Kratos, reinforcing a more bullish medium‑term thesis. This Drone Stock Can Rise 26%, Says Jefferies. Missile Demand Holds the Key.
• Positive Sentiment: Fund commentary and media coverage point to geopolitical risk (ongoing conflict in the Middle East) supporting defense budgets and near‑term program demand, a context analysts say could benefit Kratos’ product lines. Why Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Is Soaring Today
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling reported today may give some investors pause: the CFO sold roughly $348,150 of KTOS stock. CFO Sells $348,150 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: A company director disclosed a larger sale of about $2.17 million in KTOS shares, which can be viewed as a short-term headwind for sentiment even if sales are routine or for diversification. Director Sells $2,171,295 in Stock

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.