Key Points
- Insider sale: Steven Fendley sold 7,000 KTOS shares on March 30 at an average price of $69.59 for about $487,130, reducing his stake by 1.92% to 358,023 shares, per an SEC filing.
- Earnings beat: Kratos reported Q4 EPS of $0.18 vs. $0.14 expected and revenue of $345.1M (up 21.9% year-over-year), with analysts projecting roughly $0.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.
- Market and analyst outlook: Shares opened at $67.31 (below the 50- and 200-day SMAs of ~$90.51 and $87.88), carry a high PE (~518) and $12.6B market cap, and the consensus rating is "Moderate Buy" with a $98.28 price target after several firms raised estimates.
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) insider Steven Fendley sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.59, for a total transaction of $487,130.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 358,023 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,914,820.57. The trade was a 1.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Down 0.6%
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock opened at $67.31 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $90.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $87.88. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 12 month low of $25.78 and a 12 month high of $134.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.61 billion, a PE ratio of 517.81 and a beta of 1.22. 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 (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The aerospace company reported $0.18 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $345.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $327.51 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a net margin of 1.63% and a return on equity of 3.34%. The firm's revenue was up 21.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.13 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several analysts recently issued reports on KTOS shares. BTIG Research upped their price objective on shares of 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. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. B. Riley Financial boosted their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $105.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. JonesTrading started coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Monday, January 5th. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a "market outperform" rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $98.28.
Get Our Latest Analysis on KTOS
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions
Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of KTOS. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,446,230 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $337,565,000 after buying an additional 148,622 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 3,311,095 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $251,345,000 after purchasing an additional 124,607 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 29.5% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,068,863 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $280,402,000 after buying an additional 698,778 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7.4% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,046,194 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $278,331,000 after acquiring an additional 209,189 shares during the period. Finally, Hood River Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 13.3% in the second quarter. Hood River Capital Management LLC now owns 2,755,446 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $127,990,000 after purchasing an additional 324,140 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.92% of the company's stock.
About Kratos Defense & Security Solutions
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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