SAN DIEGO, Feb. 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: KTOS), a technology company in Defense, National Security and Global Markets, today announced that Kratos has been awarded contracts valued in total at approximately $65 million to design, develop and deliver simulators and other solutions for warfighter training supporting operations and maintenance of key aircraft and other platforms. The Kratos-built training systems support a wide variety of knowledge sets ac ...

AI-Powered Technique for Rendering 3D Environments Enables Rapid Creation of Photorealistic Virtual Worlds for Defense, Enterprise and Immersive Gaming Applications Walk the terrain before you fight on it! With Virtuix's Virtual Terrain Walk (VTW), warfighters can physically walk high-fidelity, geo-specific virtual terrain in 360 degrees to familiarize themselves with the battlespace for immersive mission planning, terrain reconnaissance, and leader rehearsals at echelon. More info: https://virtuix.co ...

Apis Capital Advisors’ Apis Flagship Fund released its Q4 2025 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. Apis Flagship Fund delivered strong performance in the fourth quarter of 2025, with the Fund up 10.0% net for the quarter and gaining 55.1% for the full year, significantly outperforming the MSCI ACWI global benchmark by approximately 7.0% in Q4 and 33.0% for the year. Long positions drove the majority of gains as they generated 11.9% gross contribution, while shorts added a further 0 ...

nLIGHT, Inc. to Showcase High-Energy Laser Weapon Solutions at 2026 World Defense ShowFeb 2, 2026 7:05 AM Eastern Standard Time# nLIGHT, Inc. to Showcase High-Energy Laser Weapon Solutions at 2026 World Defense ShowShare---CAMAS, Wash.--([BUSINESS WIRE])--nLIGHT, Inc. (Nasdaq: LASR), a leading provider of high-power lasers for mission-critical directed energy, optical sensing, and advanced manufacturing applications, today announced it will showcase a selection of its high-energy laser weapon solutions at t ...

January 30, 2026 11:00 AM GMT Aerospace & Defense | North America Flyby: Record $530bn Defense Backlog Fuels Growth With aggregate Defense Prime backlog at an all-time high of ~ $530bn, we take stock of trends in backlog and revenue growth, which support our Attractive view of the Defense sector. Defense Backlog Predicts Topline Growth What stood out to us in the 4Q25 earnings results so far is that U.S. Defense companies are reporting record backlog levels. Aggregate Defense Prime backlog stands at a recor ...

Group 1 - Butler National Corporation (BUKS) operates in the aerospace and defense industries, with a unique niche that also includes a gambling business [1] - The company is analyzed by an experienced aerospace, defense, and airline analyst who aims to identify investment opportunities within these sectors [1] - The analyst provides data-informed analysis to contextualize industry developments and their potential impact on investment theses [1] Group 2 - The investing group associated with the analyst offers direct access to data analytics monitors, enhancing the investment research process [1]

Economic Data Summary - Initial Jobless Claims increased to 209K, slightly above the estimated 205K, but down from the revised 210K the previous week, indicating a stable labor market with an average of 206K claims over the past six weeks [2] - Continuing Claims fell to 1.827 million, the lowest level in a year and a half, showing a significant decrease from the range of 1.9-1.974 million observed last year [3] - Q3 Productivity remained unchanged at +4.9%, marking the best quarter since Q3 2023, potentially linked to advancements in AI [3] - Unit Labor Costs stayed at -1.9%, the lowest since -2.9% in Q2 of the previous year, suggesting a favorable economic environment with higher productivity and lower labor costs [4] - The U.S. Trade Deficit for November dropped to -$56.8 billion from -$29.2 billion the previous month, significantly better than the all-time low of -$136.4 billion in March of last year [4] Company Earnings Reports - Mastercard (MA) reported earnings of $4.76, exceeding expectations by +13%, with a trailing four-quarter average beat of +3.1% [5] - Caterpillar (CAT) achieved earnings of $5.16 per share, a +10.5% surprise, with revenues of $19.13 billion, surpassing expectations by +6.6% [5] - Lockheed Martin (LMT) experienced its first negative earnings surprise since 2017, reporting $5.80 per share against expectations of $6.24, but shares rose due to a +9.1% increase in revenue [6] - Valero (VLO) delivered strong results with earnings of $3.82 per share and revenues of $30.37 billion, exceeding expectations by +18.62% and +8.24% respectively [6] Upcoming Earnings Reports - Apple (AAPL) is expected to report fiscal Q3 results with a projected earnings growth of +10.4% and revenue growth of +10.87%, having only one earnings miss in the past five years [7] - Visa (V) is anticipated to report a +14.18% increase in earnings and +12.5% in revenues, maintaining a strong track record with an average earnings beat of +2.7% over the last four quarters [8]

The financials support the setup. In Q3 2025, Lockheed Martin posted $18.6 billion in sales, $1.6 billion in net earnings, $6.95 in EPS, and $3.3 billion in free cash flow, while backlog climbed to a record $179 billion and full-year revenue guidance moved into the mid $74 billion range.Even after that run, its forward P/E of 19.68x is still below the broader aerospace and defense sector’s roughly 22.5x, which suggests investors are not paying an outsized premium for its growth and backlog visibility. Add i ...

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - For the full year 2025, the company reported revenue of $10.4 billion, adjusted operating income of just over $1 billion, and adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $10.79 [8][9] - In Q4 2025, consolidated sales were nearly $2.7 billion, an increase of $91 million, or 3.5% from the same quarter last year [18] - Adjusted operating income for Q4 was $226 million, down about $20 million from the prior year, leading to an adjusted operating margin of 8.4%, down 100 basis points from last year [18][19] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The access segment achieved Q4 revenue of $1.2 billion, roughly equal to last year, with a book-to-bill ratio of 1.5 [11] - The vocational segment delivered full-year revenue of more than $3.7 billion, up nearly 13%, with an adjusted operating income margin of 15.8% [13] - The transport segment saw sales increase to $567 million in Q4, with delivery vehicle revenue growing by 13% sequentially compared to Q3 2025 [21][22] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company noted that while there is underlying strength in data centers and infrastructure, many other construction sectors remain soft, leading to expectations of revenue decline in the first half of 2026 compared to 2025 [12] - The backlog for the access segment is $1.3 billion, which is considered reasonable in the current environment [11] - The vocational segment backlog exceeds $6.6 billion, providing excellent visibility for future revenue [16] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company showcased its vision for the future at CES, focusing on robotics, autonomy, AI, connectivity, and electrification [4][5] - The strategy includes shifting from providing equipment that enables jobs at height to offering equipment that executes jobs autonomously [5] - The company plans to continue investing in innovation and expanding U.S. manufacturing while maintaining a strong focus on long-term profitable growth [26] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management anticipates a continuation of recent economic conditions, with expected lower capital investments from industrial customers, particularly in access equipment and refuse businesses [10] - The outlook for 2026 includes an estimated adjusted EPS in the range of $11.50, reflecting strong performance in the vocational segment but weaker market conditions in the access segment [10][24] - Management expressed confidence in long-term growth opportunities driven by innovative products and strong business fundamentals [27] Other Important Information - The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.57 per share, reflecting confidence in long-term cash flow generation [26] - Share repurchases in 2025 totaled $278 million, more than double the prior year, benefiting adjusted EPS in Q4 by $0.06 compared to Q4 2024 [19] Q&A Session Summary Question: Access guidance and disconnect with competitors - Management acknowledged a balanced approach to 2026, noting strong demand from mega projects but pressure in private non-residential construction [31][32] Question: Transport margins and pricing - Management indicated that transport margins are expected to improve as new pricing contracts are implemented and production increases [33] Question: Telematics data and equipment health - Management reported healthy utilization rates for equipment in both the U.S. and European markets, with a strong used market [34] Question: First Quarter versus Fourth Quarter earnings - Management expects Q1 adjusted EPS to be about half of last year, primarily due to lower sales in the access segment [36] Question: Pricing and cost dynamics - Management discussed ongoing cost reduction initiatives and the impact of tariffs on pricing strategies for 2026 [48][49] Question: Vocational segment backlog and revenue expectations - Management confirmed a healthy backlog in the vocational segment, particularly in fire and airport products, despite some pressure in refuse and recycling [50][51]

Novakovic characterized demand in the quarter as “strong…bordering on exceptional,” citing an Aerospace book-to-bill of 1.3x and Gulfstream aircraft book-to-bill of 1.4x , even as deliveries increased. She said the introduction and performance of the G700 and G800 in customer hands helped drive demand, and that interest was improving across models and geographies.For the year, Aerospace revenue reached $13.1 billion , up 16.5% from 2024, driven in large part by deliveries of 158 new aircraft (22 more than t ...