Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Should You Buy?

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) shares saw unusually-strong trading volume on Monday . Approximately 914,723 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 27% from the previous session’s volume of 1,261,298 shares.The stock last traded at $29.13 and had previously closed at $27.29.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on KTOS shares. B. Riley upgraded Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $26.00 to $35.00 in a report on Monday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note 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 stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. StockNews.com cut Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $25.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $32.00.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Trading Up 6.9 %

The firm has a market cap of $4.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 292.67 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a current ratio of 3.22, a quick ratio of 2.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The business has a 50 day moving average of $29.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $26.51.

Insider Transactions at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In related news, insider Phillip D. Carrai sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.33, for a total transaction of $526,600.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 263,283 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,932,241.39. This trade represents a 7.06 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP De Burgreen Maria Cervantes sold 19,528 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.00, for a total transaction of $585,840.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 51,121 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,533,630. This represents a 27.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 115,181 shares of company stock valued at $3,256,346. 2.27% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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 stock. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $461,000. Cornell Pochily Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions during the 4th quarter worth $207,000. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC increased its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 15.0% in the 3rd quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 665,285 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $15,501,000 after purchasing an additional 86,567 shares in the last quarter. MRA Advisory Group bought a new position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in the fourth quarter valued at about $448,000. Finally, Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 121.3% during the fourth quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 30,371 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $801,000 after purchasing an additional 16,650 shares in the last quarter. 75.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.