Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Downgraded to “Sell” Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Tuesday morning.

KTOS has been the topic of a number of other reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $25.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $37.00 to $32.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. B. Riley upgraded Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $26.00 to $35.00 in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $27.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $32.67.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Up 2.4 %

KTOS opened at $28.92 on Tuesday. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has a one year low of $17.05 and a one year high of $35.66. The company has a market cap of $4.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 289.23 and a beta of 1.01. The business’s fifty day moving average is $29.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 2.61 and a current ratio of 3.22.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider David M. Carter sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.88, for a total value of $131,520.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 106,906 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,515,069.28. This trade represents a 3.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Deanna H. Lund sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.28, for a total transaction of $175,680.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 331,271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,699,614.88. This trade represents a 1.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 82,668 shares of company stock valued at $2,377,610. Insiders own 2.27% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KTOS. Rovida Investment Management Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the 4th quarter worth about $46,789,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,944,000. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC raised its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 140.5% in the fourth quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 1,599,740 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $42,201,000 after buying an additional 934,455 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 435.3% during the fourth quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 943,638 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $24,893,000 after buying an additional 767,345 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,719,508 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $388,301,000 after buying an additional 701,216 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

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.