If you’ve ever tried to time your entry or exit for a stock like Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (KTOS), you know how nerve-wracking it can be to figure out the best moment to act. One of the most useful metrics for this is the 52-week high and low price range, but finding the real numbers and understanding their financial significance goes way beyond just googling “KTOS stock price.” In this article, I’ll walk you through my personal experience tracking down these numbers, explain what they can mean for your investment decisions, and share some industry insights and regulatory nuances that can actually affect how these prices are reported and interpreted in different jurisdictions.
Most investors (myself included) have at some point simply plugged “KTOS 52-week high/low” into a search bar, grabbed the first numbers that pop up, and called it a day. But if you’ve ever compared Yahoo Finance to Nasdaq or Bloomberg, you’ll notice the numbers are sometimes a little off. Why? Because there are actual differences in how these figures are calculated, reported, and even regulated across financial markets.
Today, I’ll show you how to get the most accurate, up-to-date 52-week high and low for KTOS, explain the step-by-step process (with screenshots), and highlight why these numbers sometimes vary depending on which financial data provider you use. I’ll also bring in some expert commentary and regulatory comparisons between the US and other major markets, because—believe it or not—even “simple” price data isn’t standardized worldwide.
I started with Yahoo Finance (https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/KTOS/), mainly because their interface is clean and the data is updated in near real time. But, and this is crucial, I always cross-check with Nasdaq (https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/stocks/ktos) and Bloomberg Terminal (when I can access it at the office).
Screenshot 1: On Yahoo Finance, scroll down on the KTOS quote page. There’s a section called “52 Week Range.” On the day I checked (June 2024), it showed:
52 Week Range: $13.13 - $22.27
(Of course, these numbers change, so always check the latest.)
I once got burned trusting a single source—Bloomberg had a slightly different low by a few cents, and it turned out Yahoo’s data had a lag due to delayed exchange reporting. Nasdaq’s site, especially, lists the official numbers from the exchange itself, which is generally the “legally recognized” data in the US under SEC rules (SEC Regulation NMS).
Screenshot 2: Nasdaq’s KTOS page, “52 Week High/Low” field.
High: $22.27, Low: $13.13
(Matched Yahoo, but sometimes there’s a discrepancy due to after-hours trades or data refresh delays.)
Here’s where it gets tricky and a bit fun. The “52-week high” is the highest price at which KTOS traded in the past year, not counting after-hours or pre-market trades unless specifically stated. Some platforms do include those, some don’t. For example, Bloomberg tends to report only regular session data, while Yahoo sometimes includes extended hours. This is why the SEC’s interpretive guidance on market data disclosures is actually relevant—brokers must clarify what data they’re showing.
Not all markets treat these metrics the same way. In the US, the SEC’s Regulation NMS governs the dissemination of trade data, including highs and lows. In the EU, the MiFID II directive requires reporting of best execution prices, but not always in the same “52-week” format. In Japan, the FSA has its own guidelines for market data transparency.
| Country/Region | Standard Name | Legal Basis | Enforcement Agency | 52-Week High/Low Calculation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA | Regulation NMS | SEC 17 CFR 242 | SEC | Regular session only, exchange-traded prices |
| EU | MiFID II | Directive 2014/65/EU | ESMA | Best execution prices, may include multiple venues |
| Japan | Financial Instruments and Exchange Act | FIEA (Act No. 25 of 1948) | FSA | Exchange-reported, may include after-hours |
For further reading, see ESMA's MiFID II guidelines.
Imagine this: An investor in Germany uses a local broker to buy KTOS shares listed on NASDAQ. Their account statement shows a 52-week low of $13.17, but their US trading partner insists the low is $13.13. After a bit of back-and-forth, it turns out the German broker was using aggregated data from both US and European trading venues (MiFID II requirements), while the US statement only included NASDAQ regular session trades. This kind of mix-up is more common than you’d think, and it can affect everything from portfolio reporting to tax calculations.
I asked a compliance officer at a major US brokerage (who prefers to stay anonymous) how they handle these discrepancies. Their take: “For US-listed stocks, we default to exchange-reported data for regulatory compliance, but our international clients sometimes see slight mismatches due to how their home markets aggregate trade reports. That’s why we spell out in our disclosures which data sets we use.”
This matches with guidance from FINRA, which states: “Firms must clearly disclose the sources and timing of market data provided to clients, especially where differences may materially affect the understanding of market conditions.” (FINRA NTM 05-50)
Honestly, the first time I tried to reconcile the 52-week high/low across three platforms, I got completely confused. The numbers were off by a few cents, and I actually called my broker to ask why. Turns out, the time zones, reporting cutoffs, and whether after-hours trades are included all play a role. Now, I always look for the fine print—does the platform specify “regular session only”? Are after-hours trades included? If it’s not clear, I default to the exchange’s own data.
If you want the most accurate 52-week high and low for KTOS (or any stock), always check at least two reputable sources, and if possible, defer to the data provided directly by the exchange (NASDAQ, for KTOS). Be aware that minor discrepancies are normal, especially if you’re dealing with international brokers or aggregators.
For anyone trading across borders or using multiple platforms, always read the data source disclosures and, if in doubt, use the legal definitions provided by the relevant market regulator. For KTOS, as of June 2024, the official 52-week high is $22.27 and the low is $13.13 per NASDAQ. But remember: these numbers can shift, and it’s the context—how, when, and where that price was hit—that truly matters for smart financial decisions.
Next steps? Set up alerts on your primary trading platform for when KTOS approaches those boundaries, and bookmark the official NASDAQ and Yahoo Finance pages for cross-checks. If you want to dig deeper into international reporting standards, ESMA and SEC websites are surprisingly readable for regulators.
And if you ever get different numbers from different sources—don’t panic. It’s not a bug, it’s a feature of the global market!