Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Sets New 1-Year Low – What’s Next?

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) shares hit a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday. The company traded as low as $42.99 and last traded at $43.0440, with a volume of 3378044 shares. The stock had previously closed at $44.07.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KTOS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wedbush started coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $85.00 price target for the company. Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $135.00 to $104.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Piper Sandler upgraded shares of 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 note on Wednesday, August 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $96.53.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Trading Down 0.7%

The stock has a market cap of $7.96 billion, a PE ratio of 250.64 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 4.99 and a current ratio of 5.54. The company has a 50 day moving average of $51.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $58.01.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.07. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 3.07% and a net margin of 2.03%.The company had revenue of $458.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $410.36 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.11 earnings per share. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions’s revenue for the quarter was up 30.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Deanna H. Lund sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.78, for a total transaction of $341,460.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 273,511 shares in the company, valued at $13,341,866.58. This trade represents a 2.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Eric M. Demarco sold 300,000 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.33, for a total transaction of $19,299,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 761,632 shares in the company, valued at $48,995,786.56. This represents a 28.26% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 379,513 shares of company stock worth $23,799,552. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at about $104,807,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $65,293,000. Bamco Inc. NY acquired a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the second quarter valued at approximately $53,746,000. American Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the second quarter valued at approximately $51,338,000. Finally, Paradigm Capital Management Inc. NY purchased a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the second quarter worth approximately $34,842,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Company Profile

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc is a technology company that develops products and systems for national security, defense, and commercial applications. Its offerings support unmanned systems, satellite communications, space operations, missile defense, hypersonic programs, launch systems, and command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C5ISR) missions.

The company provides unmanned aerial, ground, and maritime systems, including target drones and other autonomous platforms used for testing, training, and operational missions.