Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) Rating Increased to Buy at Johnson Rice

Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) was upgraded by Johnson Rice from an “accumulate” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage presently has a $4.25 price objective on the oil and gas producer’s stock. Johnson Rice’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 56.25% from the stock’s previous close.

KOS has been the topic of several other reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Kosmos Energy from $1.75 to $2.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Kosmos Energy from $2.00 to $1.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their target price on shares of Kosmos Energy from $1.70 to $0.80 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Kosmos Energy in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Bank of America reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $1.00 price target (down from $3.40) on shares of Kosmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $2.19.

Kosmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KOS opened at $2.72 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.53, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.75. Kosmos Energy has a fifty-two week low of $0.84 and a fifty-two week high of $3.01. The stock has a market cap of $1.31 billion, a PE ratio of -1.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 0.76. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $1.91 and a 200-day moving average of $1.55.

Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 2nd. The oil and gas producer reported ($0.16) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.14) by ($0.02). Kosmos Energy had a negative return on equity of 39.29% and a negative net margin of 54.18%.The company had revenue of $294.62 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $323.46 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that Kosmos Energy will post 0.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Kosmos Energy

In related news, Director J Michael Stice acquired 52,631 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $1.90 per share, for a total transaction of $99,998.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 207,620 shares in the company, valued at approximately $394,478. This trade represents a 33.96% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Josh R. Marion sold 19,656 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1.37, for a total transaction of $26,928.72. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 197,409 shares in the company, valued at $270,450.33. This represents a 9.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have bought 3,684,210 shares of company stock worth $6,999,999 and have sold 272,844 shares worth $377,592. 2.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kosmos Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of KOS. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its holdings in shares of Kosmos Energy by 93.9% in the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 28,601 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 13,854 shares during the last quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Kosmos Energy in the second quarter worth $27,000. Old Port Advisors purchased a new position in Kosmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Cibc World Markets Corp bought a new position in Kosmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its stake in Kosmos Energy by 35.7% in the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 42,577 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 11,209 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.33% of the company’s stock.

Kosmos Energy Company Profile

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.