Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Posted by on Aug 2nd, 2023

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS – Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest in July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,690,000 shares, an increase of 8.0% from the June 30th total of 2,490,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 809,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.3 days.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Price Performance

NASDAQ KTOS opened at $15.06 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $13.99 and its 200-day simple moving average is $13.07. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has a 1-year low of $8.90 and a 1-year high of $16.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.85, a current ratio of 2.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 3rd. The aerospace company reported $0.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.03 by $0.03. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a positive return on equity of 1.68% and a negative net margin of 3.00%. The business had revenue of $231.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $223.53 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.04 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 18.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions will post 0.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Marie Mendoza sold 7,211 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.00, for a total transaction of $100,954.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 42,760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $598,640. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, VP De Burgreen Maria Cervantes sold 4,637 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.11, for a total transaction of $65,428.07. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 33,167 shares in the company, valued at approximately $467,986.37. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Marie Mendoza sold 7,211 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.00, for a total transaction of $100,954.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 42,760 shares in the company, valued at $598,640. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 171,614 shares of company stock worth $2,519,175. Corporate insiders own 2.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of KTOS. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 100.0% during the 1st quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 2,000 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management grew its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 2,500.0% in the first quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 2,600 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 2,500 shares during the period. Ellevest Inc. boosted its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 92.6% during the first quarter. Ellevest Inc. now owns 2,837 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 1,364 shares during the period. AdvisorNet Financial Inc boosted its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 36.9% during the first quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 2,970 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 800 shares during the period. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 100.9% during the first quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,000 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 1,507 shares during the last quarter. 83.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com started coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $20.00 price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Monday, April 10th. Finally, Raymond James started coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Thursday, July 20th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $17.00 price target on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $16.00.

About Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

(Get Free Report)

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc operates as a technology company that addresses the defense, National Security, and commercial markets. The company develops and fields transformative, affordable systems, products, and solutions. It operates through two segments, Kratos Government Solutions and Unmanned Systems.

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