Emerald Advisers LLC Decreases Stock Position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS)

Emerald Advisers LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,764,290 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 66,258 shares during the period. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions accounts for approximately 1.5% of Emerald Advisers LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Emerald Advisers LLC owned about 1.18% of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions worth $35,303,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. purchased a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the first quarter worth about $46,177,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 14.9% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,972,406 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $256,813,000 after purchasing an additional 1,807,580 shares during the period. Hood River Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 108.7% during the first quarter. Hood River Capital Management LLC now owns 2,556,787 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $46,994,000 after buying an additional 1,331,499 shares during the period. Element Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the first quarter worth $11,198,000. Finally, Bamco Inc. NY grew its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 13.2% in the first quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 4,374,077 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $80,396,000 after buying an additional 511,538 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Down 3.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ KTOS opened at $21.09 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 3.13 and a quick ratio of 2.56. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $21.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $19.89. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 12-month low of $13.98 and a 12-month high of $23.23. The company has a market capitalization of $3.17 billion, a PE ratio of 68.53 and a beta of 1.02.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The aerospace company reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.05. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions had a return on equity of 3.92% and a net margin of 0.89%. The firm had revenue of $300.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $276.08 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.05 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. will post 0.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on KTOS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $20.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 28th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, June 3rd. JMP Securities initiated coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, May 28th. They issued a “market outperform” rating and a $27.00 price objective on the stock. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $25.00 target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research note on Friday, June 28th. Finally, BTIG Research began coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Wednesday, June 26th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $23.50.

Insider Transactions at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In related news, insider Steven S. Fendley sold 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.09, for a total transaction of $147,630.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 384,160 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,101,934.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, SVP Marie Mendoza sold 1,355 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.07, for a total value of $27,194.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 63,393 shares in the company, valued at $1,272,297.51. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Steven S. Fendley sold 7,000 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction on Monday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.09, for a total transaction of $147,630.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 384,160 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,101,934.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 71,355 shares of company stock valued at $1,545,240 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 2.27% of the company’s stock.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Profile

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc operates as a technology company that addresses the defense, national security, and commercial markets. It operates through two segments, Kratos Government Solutions and Unmanned Systems. The company offers ground systems for satellites and space vehicles, including software for command and control, telemetry, and tracking and control; jet-powered unmanned aerial drone systems, hypersonic vehicles, and rocket systems; propulsion systems for drones, missiles, loitering munitions, supersonic systems, spacecraft, and launch systems; command, control, communication, computing, combat, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance; and microwave electronic products for missile, radar, missile defense, space, and satellite; counter unmanned aircraft systems, directed energy, communication and other systems, and virtual and augmented reality training systems for the warfighter.