Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS)’s share price gapped up before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $57.30, but opened at $63.96. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions shares last traded at $64.3520, with a volume of 2,659,290 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on KTOS shares. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $100.00 to $80.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $80.00 target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Sunday, May 10th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $96.28.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $67.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $81.26. The stock has a market cap of $12.40 billion, a PE ratio of 386.66 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 5.63 and a quick ratio of 5.08.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $371.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $345.00 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 2.82% and a net margin of 2.08%.The firm’s revenue was up 22.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.12 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Deanna H. Lund sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.10, for a total transaction of $310,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 295,200 shares in the company, valued at $18,331,920. The trade was a 1.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Bradley L. Boyd sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.08, for a total value of $156,240.00. Following the sale, the director owned 16,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $858,278.40. The trade was a 15.40% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 154,540 shares of company stock valued at $11,689,165 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KTOS. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp lifted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7,600.0% in the fourth quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 385 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 380 shares during the last quarter. Vision Retirement LLC lifted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 288.2% in the first quarter. Vision Retirement LLC now owns 427 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 317 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC purchased a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.92% 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.