Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NASDAQ:KTOS)

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Traders bought 13,132 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 33% compared to the typical volume of 9,868 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Clear Str upgraded shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $100.00 to $80.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $99.00 to $75.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $96.28.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, Director Scott I. Anderson sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.11, for a total value of $1,336,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 51,334 shares in the company, valued at $4,574,372.74. The trade was a 22.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Phillip D. Carrai sold 6,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.07, for a total transaction of $578,955.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 234,292 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,868,388.44. This trade represents a 2.70% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 199,388 shares of company stock valued at $14,283,667. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of KTOS. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 380 shares during the last quarter. Vision Retirement LLC lifted its position 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 acquiring 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 $31,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC purchased a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the third quarter valued at $32,000. 75.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Price Performance

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock opened at $64.13 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $12.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 377.24 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $65.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $81.05. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has a 12-month low of $35.88 and a 12-month high of $134.00. The company has a current ratio of 5.63, a quick ratio of 5.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

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

Key Stories Impacting Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

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

• Positive Sentiment: Reports that the U.S. government may fund or take equity stakes in domestic drone makers have raised hopes that Kratos could benefit from stronger demand, policy support, and a more favorable growth outlook. Kratos And US Drone Funding Talks Could Reshape Growth And Risk Profile
• Positive Sentiment: Heavy call-option buying suggests traders are positioning for additional upside tied to the drone-sector funding theme. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:KTOS)
• Neutral Sentiment: Several insiders recently sold shares, including director Bobbi Doorenbos and executives Steven S. Fendley and Jonah Adelman. While the sales can pressure sentiment, at least one was made under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan and does not necessarily indicate a change in fundamentals. Jonah Adelman insider sale details

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.