For the quarter ended December 2024, Kratos (KTOS) reported revenue of $283.1 million, up 3.4% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $0.13, compared to $0.12 in the year-ago quarter.

The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $288.31 million, representing a surprise of -1.81%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of +44.44%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $0.09.

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.

Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.

Here is how Kratos performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

• Revenues- Kratos Government Solutions: $222 million compared to the $223.42 million average estimate based on four analysts. The reported number represents a change of +1.7% year over year.
• Revenues- Unmanned Systems: $61.10 million versus $66.54 million estimated by four analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +10.3% change.
• Revenues- Product sales: $176.60 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $170.05 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +2.1%.
• Revenues- Service revenues: $106.50 million versus $117.06 million estimated by three analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +5.7% change.
• Gross Profit- Service revenues: $29.40 million compared to the $31.72 million average estimate based on three analysts.
• Gross Profit- Product sales: $40.40 million versus $42.07 million estimated by three analysts on average.
• Operating Income- Unmanned Systems: -$0.70 million compared to the $2.19 million average estimate based on three analysts.
• Operating Income- Kratos Government Solutions: $11 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $15.27 million.
• Operating Income- Unallocated corporate expense, net: -$7.30 million compared to the -$4.35 million average estimate based on two analysts.

View all Key Company Metrics for Kratos here>>>

Shares of Kratos have returned -25% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -2.3% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), indicating that it could outperform the broader market in the near term.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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