Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) Shares Sold by Essex Investment Management Co. LLC

Essex Investment Management Co. LLC lowered its position in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) by 8.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 368,108 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 34,423 shares during the period. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions comprises approximately 1.7% of Essex Investment Management Co. LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC’s holdings in Kratos Defense & Security Solutions were worth $9,711,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of KTOS. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,032,888 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $93,966,000 after purchasing an additional 233,051 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,556,544 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $82,883,000 after purchasing an additional 29,278 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 12.2% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,798,859 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $70,951,000 after purchasing an additional 304,088 shares during the last quarter. American Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 12.8% during the 3rd quarter. American Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,694,948 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $62,792,000 after purchasing an additional 305,925 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Portolan Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions by 9.0% during the 3rd quarter. Portolan Capital Management LLC now owns 1,776,740 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $41,398,000 after purchasing an additional 146,319 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.92% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Marie Mendoza sold 1,500 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.96, for a total value of $41,940.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 55,631 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,555,442.76. This trade represents a 2.63 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Thomas E. Iv Mills sold 11,516 shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.98, for a total transaction of $322,217.68. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 12,315 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $344,573.70. This trade represents a 48.32 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 115,181 shares of company stock valued at $3,256,346 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 2.27% of the company’s stock.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Performance

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions stock opened at $27.29 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $29.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $26.47. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has a 1-year low of $16.78 and a 1-year high of $35.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 3.22 and a quick ratio of 2.61. The stock has a market cap of $4.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 272.93 and a beta of 1.12.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KTOS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JMP Securities restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective 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. Jefferies Financial Group upped 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. StockNews.com cut shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $32.00.

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.