Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Wedbush

Wedbush upgraded shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial upgraded shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Piper Sandler cut their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $99.00 to $75.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $100.00 to $80.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $100.44.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Price Performance

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock opened at $53.04 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $57.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $77.97. The company has a quick ratio of 5.08, a current ratio of 5.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The stock has a market cap of $9.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 312.00 and a beta of 1.07. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has a 12-month low of $41.87 and a 12-month high of $134.00.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $371.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $345.00 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 2.82% and a net margin of 2.08%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 22.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.12 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions will post 0.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Phillip D. Carrai sold 6,500 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.74, for a total transaction of $375,310.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 215,052 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,417,102.48. This trade represents a 2.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Marie Mendoza sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.93, for a total transaction of $86,895.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 64,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,733,414.71. This trade represents a 2.27% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders sold 151,778 shares of company stock valued at $9,063,063. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 7,600.0% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 385 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 380 shares during the period. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp lifted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 115.4% in the fourth quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp now owns 420 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Vision Retirement LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 317 shares during the period. Finally, CI Investments Inc. increased its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 142.7% during the third quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 432 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush initiated coverage with an Outperform rating and an $85 price target, with the analyst calling Kratos a “misunderstood” supplier to the broader U.S. defense ecosystem. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Kratos won an agreement to become the exclusive U.S. manufacturer for Elroy Air, and also disclosed an initial joint venture agreement with Barq Group in Abu Dhabi, boosting its uncrewed systems and international growth outlook. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Investor enthusiasm around the proposed Golden Dome missile defense initiative is highlighting Kratos as a potential long-term supplier, supporting the case for future defense spending tied to its scalable technologies. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Defense stocks, including KTOS, also got a lift after AeroVironment’s strong quarterly results signaled healthy demand across the sector. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional commentary from market outlets and analyst roundups continued to spotlight Kratos as one of the notable defense names attracting investor attention, but these items were mainly reiterative rather than new catalysts. Article Title

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.