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Reasons to Add Kratos Defense Stock to Your Portfolio Now

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Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (KTOS - Free Report) , with a strong backlog, rising earnings estimates and low debt, offers a great investment opportunity in the Zacks Aerospace sector.

Let’s focus on the factors that make this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company a strong investment pick at the moment.

KTOS’ Growth Projections & Surprise History
 

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for KTOS’ 2024 earnings per share (EPS) has increased 20.5% to 47 cents in the past 60 days. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Kratos Defense’s total revenues for 2024 stands at $1.15 billion, which indicates year-over-year growth of 10.7%.

The company delivered an average earnings surprise of 73.75% in the last four quarters.

Debt Position of KTOS
 

Kratos Defense’s times interest earned ratio (TIE) at the end of the second quarter of 2024 was 3.4. The company’s strong TIE ratio indicates that it will be able to meet its interest payment obligations in the near term without any problems.

Currently, Kratos Defense’s total debt to capital is 11.9%, better than the industry’s average of 53.72%.

KTOS’ Liquidity
 

The company’s current ratio at the end of the second quarter of 2024 was 3.13, higher than the industry’s average of 1.55. The ratio, being greater than one, indicates Kratos Defense’s ability to meet its future short-term liabilities without difficulties.

KTOS’ Rising Backlog
 

KTOS’ total backlog as of June 30, 2024 increased a solid 12.6% to $1.30 billion from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure. Such solid backlog growth indicates strong revenue growth prospects for the company in the coming quarters. Kratos expects to recognize approximately 35% of the total backlog as revenues in 2024, an additional 41% in 2025 and the balance thereafter.

KTOS Stock Price Movement
 

In the past six months, KTOS shares have rallied 25.2% compared with the industry’s growth of 14.3%.

Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Other Stocks to Consider
 

A few other top-ranked stocks from the same sector are Leonardo DRS, Inc. (DRS - Free Report) , Curtiss-Wright Corp. (CW - Free Report) and Leidos Holdings, Inc. (LDOS - Free Report) , each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Leonardo DRS long-term (three to five years) earnings growth rate is 16.4%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for DRS’ total revenues for 2024 stands at $3.15 billion, which indicates year-over-year growth of 11.4%.

Curtiss-Wright delivered an average earnings surprise of 11.52% in the last four quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its 2024 revenues is pegged at $3.04 billion, which implies a rise of 6.9% from the 2023 reported sales figure.

Leidoslong-term earnings growth rate is 12.5%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for LDOS’ 2024 sales is pegged at $16.27 billion, which calls for a rise of 5.4% from the 2023 reported sales figure.

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