Sei Investments Co. Buys 142,000 Shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS

Sei Investments Co. lifted its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) by 33.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 570,631 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 142,000 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. owned approximately 0.30% of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions worth $40,234,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lido Advisors LLC lifted its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 49.3% in the 1st quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 6,397 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $451,000 after buying an additional 2,112 shares during the last quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. bought a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the first quarter valued at approximately $585,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 83.0% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 30,063 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,120,000 after acquiring an additional 13,634 shares during the last quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 18.5% during the first quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC now owns 22,208 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,566,000 after acquiring an additional 3,462 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 1,131.0% in the 1st quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,071 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $76,000 after acquiring an additional 984 shares during the last quarter. 75.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on KTOS shares. Truist Financial upgraded shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Piper Sandler dropped their price target 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. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $82.00 price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Thursday, May 7th. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $80.00 price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $101.29.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of KTOS opened at $47.35 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $53.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $74.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 278.53 and a beta of 1.07. 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, Inc. has a 1-year low of $45.58 and a 1-year high of $134.00.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.12 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 22.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.48 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Phillip D. Carrai sold 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.13, for a total value of $338,845.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 221,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,549,401.50. This represents a 2.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Stacey G. Rock sold 4,675 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $233,750.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 9,600 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $480,000. The trade was a 32.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 141,036 shares of company stock valued at $8,024,377. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions 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.