Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Stock Price Down 7.6% on Insider Selling

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS)’s share price traded down 7.6% during mid-day trading on Wednesday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $57.90 and last traded at $58.43. 5,077,811 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 15% from the average session volume of 4,405,077 shares. The stock had previously closed at $63.27.

Specifically, CFO Deanna H. Lund sold 5,000 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.74, for a total value of $318,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 290,161 shares in the company, valued at $18,494,862.14. The trade was a 1.69% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Stacey G. Rock sold 4,000 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.47, for a total value of $261,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 13,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $909,771.12. This represents a 22.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In related news, Director Bobbi Doorenbos sold 2,500 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.29, for a total value of $143,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 12,500 shares in the company, valued at $716,125. The trade was a 16.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Citizens Jmp cut their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $125.00 to $105.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 8th. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $100.00 to $80.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $82.00 price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $96.28.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Trading Down 7.7%

The company has a current ratio of 5.63, a quick ratio of 5.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The company has a market capitalization of $10.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 344.24 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a fifty day moving average of $64.11 and a 200-day moving average of $80.72.

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 the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $371.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $345.00 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.12 EPS. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions’s revenue was up 22.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Greenleaf Trust increased its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 3,830 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $291,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. LVW Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. LVW Advisors LLC now owns 3,665 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $278,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co increased its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,698 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $129,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 5,918 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $449,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the period. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,945 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $148,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. 75.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.