Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Shares Up 4.9% - Here's Why

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS - Get Free Report) shares shot up 4.9% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $30.84 and last traded at $29.62. 1,376,834 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 12% from the average session volume of 1,572,379 shares. The stock had previously closed at $28.24.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KTOS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $27.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. JMP Securities reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $37.00 to $32.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $27.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $32.67.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Up 4.8 %

The firm has a market cap of $5.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 332.43 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 2.61 and a current ratio of 3.22. The business's 50-day moving average is $29.46 and its 200-day moving average is $28.01.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In other news, SVP Marie Mendoza sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.30, for a total transaction of $49,950.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 61,782 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,057,340.60. This represents a 2.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Eric M. Demarco acquired 9,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $26.35 per share, with a total value of $250,325.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,267,482 shares in the company, valued at $33,398,150.70. The trade was a 0.76 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 82,668 shares of company stock worth $2,377,610. 2.27% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 15,479 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $408,000 after acquiring an additional 490 shares during the period. MRP Capital Investments LLC lifted its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 28.6% during the 4th quarter. MRP Capital Investments LLC now owns 2,250 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 43,807 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,156,000 after purchasing an additional 586 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 90.5% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,284 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 610 shares during the period. Finally, ORG Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 32,975 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $870,000 after buying an additional 621 shares during the last quarter. 75.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Company Profile

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.