Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) Trading 7.5% Higher – Still a Buy?

Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE:KOS) shares traded up 7.5% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $3.01 and last traded at $3.00. 4,138,157 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average session volume of 21,818,234 shares. The stock had previously closed at $2.79.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Mizuho restated an “underperform” rating and issued a $3.00 target price (up from $2.00) on shares of Kosmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Kosmos Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $2.25 target price on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Johnson Rice upgraded Kosmos Energy from an “accumulate” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $4.25 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered Kosmos Energy to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded 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 issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kosmos Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $2.44.

Kosmos Energy Stock Up 9.3%

The company has a 50-day moving average of $2.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $2.02. The company has a market capitalization of $1.81 billion, a P/E ratio of -1.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.56.

Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) last posted its quarterly 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). The business had revenue of $370.73 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $405.21 million. Kosmos Energy had a negative return on equity of 37.60% and a negative net margin of 59.38%. On average, research analysts predict that Kosmos Energy Ltd. will post 0.24 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Kosmos Energy

In other news, Director Steven Sterin sold 38,636 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.73, for a total value of $105,476.28. Following the sale, the director directly owned 331,295 shares in the company, valued at approximately $904,435.35. This represents a 10.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Roy A. Franklin sold 43,466 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.73, for a total value of $118,662.18. Following the transaction, the director owned 150,722 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $411,471.06. The trade was a 22.38% decrease in their position. 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. Insiders sold a total of 125,568 shares of company stock valued at $342,801 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kosmos Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KOS. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Kosmos Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Caerus Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Kosmos Energy in the first quarter worth $31,000. Abel Hall LLC purchased a new position in Kosmos Energy in the first quarter worth $36,000. KBC Group NV purchased a new position in Kosmos Energy in the first quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Baer Investment Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Kosmos Energy in the first quarter worth $53,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.33% of the company’s stock.

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.