Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Decreases Stock Position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lessened its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) by 19.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 384,970 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 92,091 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV owned 0.25% of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions worth $7,703,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 113.1% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 311,594 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $5,727,000 after buying an additional 165,356 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,990,920 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $80,978,000 after acquiring an additional 195,615 shares during the period. Comerica Bank raised its stake in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 627.9% during the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 49,636 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $912,000 after purchasing an additional 42,817 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank lifted its holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 13.2% during the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 287,600 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $5,286,000 after purchasing an additional 33,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,164,826 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $246,824,000 after purchasing an additional 229,472 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Price Performance

KTOS opened at $22.91 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 3.13, a quick ratio of 2.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 70.09 and a beta of 1.02. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $21.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $20.13. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 12-month low of $13.98 and a 12-month high of $24.08.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on KTOS. JMP Securities started coverage on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a report on Tuesday, May 28th. They issued a “market outperform” rating and a $27.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $20.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 28th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $25.00 price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, BTIG Research assumed coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Wednesday, June 26th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $23.50.

Insider Activity at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In other Kratos Defense & Security Solutions news, insider Steven S. Fendley sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.68, for a total transaction of $158,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 377,322 shares in the company, valued at $8,557,662.96. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, insider Steven S. Fendley sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.68, for a total transaction of $158,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 377,322 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,557,662.96. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Deanna H. Lund sold 6,000 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction on Monday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 298,016 shares in the company, valued at $5,960,320. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 76,210 shares of company stock valued at $1,652,702. Insiders own 2.27% of the company’s stock.

About Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

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.