Bamco Inc. NY Reduces Stock Position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. $KTOS

Bamco Inc. NY lessened its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) by 52.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,932,889 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 2,151,380 shares during the quarter. Bamco Inc. NY owned about 1.14% of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions worth $176,608,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 29.6% in the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,086,494 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $236,268,000 after buying an additional 1,162,577 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 8.3% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,949,763 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $183,490,000 after acquiring an additional 301,135 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 29.5% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,068,863 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $280,402,000 after acquiring an additional 698,778 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7.4% during the 3rd 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 last quarter. Finally, Hood River Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 13.3% during the 2nd quarter. Hood River Capital Management LLC now owns 2,755,446 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $127,990,000 after acquiring an additional 324,140 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Price Performance

KTOS stock opened at $87.53 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 3.46, a current ratio of 4.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $100.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $86.70. The stock has a market cap of $16.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 673.36 and a beta of 1.12. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $25.78 and a fifty-two week high of $134.00.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last announced 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 firm had revenue of $345.10 million for 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%. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.13 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider David M. Carter sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.36, for a total value of $341,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 81,964 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,996,447.04. This trade represents a 4.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Thomas E. Iv Mills sold 5,758 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.26, for a total value of $525,475.08. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 4,086 shares in the company, valued at $372,888.36. This represents a 58.49% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 579,731 shares of company stock worth $50,949,306 over the last quarter. 2.37% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on KTOS. KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $90.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. UBS Group started coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $79.00 price objective for the company. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Noble Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $98.28.

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.