Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) CFO Deanna Lund Sells 5,000 Shares of Stock

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) CFO Deanna Lund sold 5,000 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.55, for a total value of $242,750.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 280,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,617,643.85. This trade represents a 1.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing 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.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Trading Up 6.7%

NASDAQ:KTOS opened at $55.34 on Thursday. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 1 year low of $43.09 and a 1 year high of $134.00. The stock has a market cap of $10.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 325.53 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 5.08 and a current ratio of 5.63. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $52.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $71.15.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.07. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 3.37% and a net margin of 2.03%.The business had revenue of $458.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $410.36 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.11 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 30.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KTOS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Friday, July 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $99.00 to $82.00 in a report on Friday, June 12th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $105.00 target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Wednesday. Truist Financial raised Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Piper Sandler raised Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $75.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $102.41.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in KTOS. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 148,622 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 3,311,095 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $251,345,000 after acquiring an additional 124,607 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew 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 purchasing an additional 209,189 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 13.6% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,072,700 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $189,383,000 after purchasing an additional 247,652 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7,701.6% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,593,549 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $120,966,000 after purchasing an additional 1,573,123 shares during the period. 75.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter results beat expectations. Kratos reported adjusted earnings of $0.21 per share, up from $0.11 a year earlier and above the roughly $0.13-$0.14 consensus. Revenue rose 30.5% year over year to $458.8 million, exceeding estimates near $410 million. Kratos Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Growth was broad-based. Kratos Government Solutions revenue increased 36.4% to $379.7 million, while Unmanned Systems revenue rose 8.1% to $79.1 million. Management cited demand across hypersonics, space, jet engines, counter-drone systems and unmanned aircraft, along with strong bookings. Kratos Defense Q2 Earnings and Revenues Outpace Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its outlook. Full-year 2026 revenue guidance was lifted to approximately $1.8 billion, above the roughly $1.7 billion analyst consensus, with projected organic revenue growth of 19%-23%. Kratos also outlined plans to produce 3,000 Spartan engines in 2027. Kratos 2026 Organic Growth Forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment improved. Piper Sandler upgraded KTOS, citing a buying opportunity, while BTIG raised its price target to $104 and maintained a Buy rating. The upgrades reinforce the view that the earnings beat and raised outlook may have been overly discounted by the market. Kratos Defense Upgraded at Piper Sandler
• Neutral Sentiment: Near-term guidance was roughly in line. Third-quarter revenue guidance of $460 million-$480 million brackets the $462.8 million consensus estimate, suggesting continued growth but limited immediate upside from the next-quarter forecast. Kratos Defense Rallies on Results and Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Call-option activity was elevated, with 13,877 contracts purchased versus average daily volume of 10,153, indicating increased bullish speculation but not a fundamental change in the business.
• Negative Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald lowered its price target from $115 to $100, although it retained an Overweight rating. Kratos also continues to trade at a demanding valuation, making the stock sensitive to any slowdown in growth or execution.

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.