Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) Trading Up 7.2% – Here’s Why

Shares of Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE:KOS) shot up 7.2% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $2.24 and last traded at $2.24. Approximately 10,058,165 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 52% from the average daily volume of 21,072,750 shares. The stock had previously closed at $2.09.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on KOS. Weiss Ratings lowered Kosmos Energy from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Kosmos Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $2.25 price objective for the company. in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Johnson Rice upgraded shares of Kosmos Energy from an “accumulate” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $4.25 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Mizuho restated an “underperform” rating and set a $3.00 price target (up from $2.00) on shares of Kosmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Kosmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kosmos Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $2.44.

Kosmos Energy Stock Down 5.2%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.56, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.60. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $2.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $2.21. The company has a market cap of $1.29 billion, a P/E ratio of -1.29, a P/E/G ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 0.71.

Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The oil and gas producer reported ($0.07) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.08 by ($0.15). Kosmos Energy had a negative net margin of 59.38% and a negative return on equity of 37.60%. The firm had revenue of $370.73 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $405.21 million. Research analysts expect that Kosmos Energy Ltd. will post 0.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Kosmos Energy

In related news, CEO Andrew G. Inglis sold 85,935 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.05, for a total transaction of $176,166.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,678,043 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,589,988.15. This trade represents a 1.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Director Roy A. Franklin sold 43,466 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.73, for a total transaction of $118,662.18. Following the sale, the director owned 150,722 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $411,471.06. The trade was a 22.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 294,580 shares of company stock worth $689,275. Company insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kosmos Energy

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its position in shares of Kosmos Energy by 93.9% during the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 28,601 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 13,854 shares during the period. Old Port Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of Kosmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Cibc World Markets Corp acquired a new position in Kosmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Kosmos Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Caerus Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Kosmos Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. 95.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Kosmos Energy

Kosmos Energy Ltd. is an independent oil and gas exploration and production company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Since its founding in 2003, the company has focused on identifying and developing hydrocarbon reserves in frontier and emerging basins around the world. Kosmos combines geological and geophysical expertise with a disciplined approach to acreage acquisition and partner selection to pursue high‐impact offshore exploration opportunities.

The company’s portfolio is anchored by assets in West Africa and the Gulf of Mexico.