Barclays PLC Boosts Holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS)

Barclays PLC raised its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS - Free Report) by 50.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 410,481 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 137,381 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned about 0.27% of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions worth $10,828,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rovida Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,789,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,944,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,719,508 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $388,301,000 after acquiring an additional 701,216 shares during the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership bought a new stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the fourth quarter worth about $15,631,000. Finally, TimesSquare Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $15,617,000. Institutional investors own 75.92% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday. JMP Securities reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. B. Riley upgraded Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $26.00 to $35.00 in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $32.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $37.00 to $32.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $33.33.

Insider Transactions at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In related news, insider Steven S. Fendley sold 7,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.16, for a total transaction of $232,120.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 365,461 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,118,686.76. This trade represents a 1.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Marie Mendoza sold 1,500 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.12, for a total transaction of $40,680.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 60,443 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,639,214.16. This represents a 2.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 87,168 shares of company stock valued at $2,525,600 over the last ninety days. 2.37% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Up 1.0 %

NASDAQ KTOS traded up $0.33 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $33.29. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,154,159 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,623,731. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 332.93 and a beta of 1.01. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $29.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $28.46. The company has a current ratio of 3.22, a quick ratio of 2.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a twelve month low of $17.05 and a twelve month high of $35.66.

About Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc engages in the provision of mission critical products, services and solutions for United States national security priorities. It operates through the Kratos Government Solutions (KGS) and Unmanned Systems (US) segments. The KGS segment consists of an aggregation of KGS operating segments, including microwave electronic products, space, satellite and cyber, training solutions.