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KTOSKratos Defense & Security SolutSell5.6·$43.59
SellModerate Confidence
Investment thesis

Despite a perfect four-quarter earnings beat streak averaging 18% positive surprise and nearly 77% implied upside to the analyst consensus target, business quality falls well short of the minimum threshold — with free cash flow deeply negative relative to net income and no identifiable competitive moat — and a confirmed death cross with price below the 200-day moving average makes this a position to exit, not hold.

Thesis pillars

  • Government Revenue Concentration↑Improving
  • Quality Below Investment Floor→Stable
  • Confirmed Downtrend Death Cross↑Improving
  • +1 more pillar — see the Why tab for full reasoning

Pillars as of Jul 3, 2026, based on the 10-K filed Feb 23, 2026

Full reasoning →

Open full analysis

Kratos Defense & Security Solut (KTOS) Stock Analysis

Recovery setup

SellVALUE-TRAP 1/5GrowthModerate Confidence

Industrials · Aerospace & Defense

Earnings in 6 days (2026-11-05). Expect elevated volatility around the report — consider waiting for post-earnings price action before new entries.

Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $43.59: Quality below floor (2.5 < 4.0) triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 5.6/10 and A.R:R 6.2:1 is above the 1.5:1 BUY gate. Specifically: Below-average business quality; Below long-term trend.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions designs and produces defense technology including jet-powered unmanned aerial drones, hypersonic vehicles, solid rocket motors, microwave electronics, and satellite command and control systems primarily for the U.S. military and intelligence... Read more

$43.59+92.9% A.UpsideScore 5.6/10#40 of 65 Aerospace & Defense
QualityF-score6 / 9FCF yield-1.44%
Stop $40.54Analyst target $84.10(−10% haircut)A.R:R 6.2:1
Analyst consensus$93.44+114.4%25 analysts
$84.10Analyst target
$43.59price
$93.44mean
$150

Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $43.59: Quality below floor (2.5 < 4.0) triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 5.6/10 and A.R:R 6.2:1 is above the 1.5:1 BUY gate. Specifically: Below-average business quality; Below long-term trend. Chart setup: Death cross but MACD improving, RSI 55. Score 5.6/10, moderate confidence.

Passes 5/9 gates (positive momentum, favorable risk/reward ratio, news events none recent, semi cycle peak clear, materials cycle peak clear). Fails on earnings proximity 6d<=7d. Suitability: speculative.

news + 30-day 8-K events · 5-min refresh

Recent developments

updated 2026-10-30

Recent Developments — Kratos Defense & Security Solut

Generated 2026-10-30T11:27:56Z.

TrendMatrix Research · upcoming catalyst calendar

Upcoming dated catalysts

Thu, Nov 5, 20266d to earnings· next earnings call

Thesis

Rewards
No bull case signals
Risks
Concentration risk — Customer: U.S. Government (68.0%)
Quality below floor (2.5 < 4.0)

Key Metrics

P/E (TTM)256.4
P/E (Fwd)38.5
Mkt Cap$8.2B
EV/EBITDA79.8
Profit Mgn2.0%
ROE1.1%
Rev Growth30.5%
Beta1.11
DividendNone
Rating analysts30

Quality Signals

Piotroski F6/9MoatNarrow

Options Flow

P/C0.63bullish
IV84%elevated
Max Pain$59+35.4% vs spot

Concentration Risks(10-K Item 1A)

  • HIGHCustomerU.S. Government68%
    10-K Item 1A: 'In fiscal 2025, 2024 and 2023, we generated 68%, 67% and 69%, respectively, of our total revenues from contracts with the U.S. Government'
  • LOWCustomerU.S. Navy18%
    10-K Item 1A: 'the U.S. Navy accounted for 17.7% and 14.7%, respectively, of our total revenues'
  • LOWCustomerU.S. Air Force13%
    10-K Item 1A: 'the U.S. Air Force accounted for 12.6% and 15.2% respectively, of our total revenues'

Material Events(8-K, last 90d)

  • 2026-03-25Item 5.02LOW
    On March 19, 2026, David King was appointed to the Board of Directors and Audit Committee effective March 23, 2026. Mr. Hoglund stepped down from the Audit Committee but remains Chairman of the Board. No reason cited for committee change.
    SEC filing →

Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results. How we score · Editorial policy

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About TrendMatrix. TrendMatrix is a publisher of general securities research and market commentary. We publish on a regular schedule. All content is the same for every subscriber in a tier — we do not provide personalized investment advice and we do not take into account any individual subscriber's financial situation, investment objectives, risk tolerance, tax situation, or holdings.

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Performance. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Performance figures reflect the published model only and do not reflect any individual subscriber's actual results.

Methodology · Editorial policy & full disclaimer

Rating Breakdown

2 floor-breakers

Technicals below the gate floor. Component breakdown shows what dragged the score down.static

52w Position
0.0
Support Resistance
0.7
Bollinger
0.9

Quality below the gate floor. Component breakdown shows what dragged the score down.static

Operating Margin
0.0
Fcf Quality
0.0
Roa
0.3
Roe
0.4
Gross Margin
0.6
Net Margin
1.0
Moat
6.4
Piotroski F
6.7
Current Ratio
7.5
Earnings quality RED FLAG: -383% FCF/NIQuality concerns
GatesEARNINGS PROXIMITY 6d<=7dINSIDER 0.29%=MODERATEDeath cross (50MA < 200MA)Executive change: officer departure/appointmentMomentum 6.9>=5.5A.R:R 6.2 ≥ 1.5NEWS EVENTS NONE RECENTSEMI CYCLE PEAK CLEARMATERIALS CYCLE PEAK CLEARRecoverySuitability: Speculative
RSI
55 · Neutral
↑ 20D MA↓ 50D MA↓ 200D MADEATH CROSSSupport $36.37Resistance $44.13

Price Targets

$41
$84
A.Upside+92.9%
A.R:R6.2:1

Position Sizing

ConvictionNone
Suggested %0%
Max %0%
RegimeSteady

Risk Alerts

! Quality below floor (2.5 < 4.0)
! EARNINGS_PROXIMITY:6d<=7d

Earnings

B
B
B
B
4/4 beats
Next Earnings2026-11-05 (6d)

Verdict History

reverse chrono — latest first
Loading history...
Verdicts are recorded on every nightly pipeline run. Rows capture transitions (verdict flips, score deltas ≥0.3, entry/TP/SL changes). Rows with a ▶ can be expanded to see the change reason. Aggregate cohort performance is tracked in the recommendation ledger.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is KTOS stock a buy right now?

Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $43.59: Quality below floor (2.5 < 4.0) triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 5.6/10 and A.R:R 6.2:1 is above the 1.5:1 BUY gate. Specifically: Below-average business quality; Below long-term trend. Chart setup: Death cross but MACD improving, RSI 55. Prior stop was $40.54. Score 5.6/10, moderate confidence.

What is the KTOS stock price target?

Analyst target: $84.10 (+92.9% upside). Prior stop was $40.54. Stop-loss: $40.54.

What are the risks of investing in KTOS?

Concentration risk — Customer: U.S. Government (68.0%); Quality below floor (2.5 < 4.0).

Is KTOS overvalued or undervalued?

Kratos Defense & Security Solut trades at a P/E of 256.4 (forward 38.5). TrendMatrix value score: 7.0/10. Verdict: Sell.

What do analysts say about KTOS?

30 analysts cover KTOS with a consensus score of 4.3/5. Average price target: $93.

What does Kratos Defense & Security Solut do?Kratos Defense & Security Solutions designs and produces defense technology including jet-powered unmanned aerial...

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions designs and produces defense technology including jet-powered unmanned aerial drones, hypersonic vehicles, solid rocket motors, microwave electronics, and satellite command and control systems primarily for the U.S. military and intelligence community. The company operates two segments—Kratos Government Solutions and Unmanned Systems—with 68% of FY2025 revenues from U.S. Government contracts and no single contract exceeding 5% of annual revenue.

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