Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) Rating Lowered to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on KOS. Mizuho raised shares of Kosmos Energy to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Stephens cut their target price on shares of Kosmos Energy from $3.00 to $2.40 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded shares of Kosmos Energy to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Kosmos Energy in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $2.53.

Kosmos Energy Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of KOS opened at $2.74 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.63 billion, a P/E ratio of -2.30, a PEG ratio of 0.18 and a beta of 0.73. Kosmos Energy has a 12 month low of $0.84 and a 12 month high of $3.34. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $2.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $2.67. The company has a current ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.58.

Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) last announced its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The oil and gas producer reported $0.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.02. Kosmos Energy had a negative return on equity of 17.73% and a negative net margin of 33.98%.The firm had revenue of $607.25 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $483.23 million. Analysts predict that Kosmos Energy will post 0.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Kosmos Energy

In other Kosmos Energy news, SVP Josh Marion sold 24,969 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.05, for a total value of $51,186.45. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 233,404 shares in the company, valued at approximately $478,478.20. This trade represents a 9.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through 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, CEO Andrew Inglis sold 85,935 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.05, for a total transaction of $176,166.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,678,043 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,589,988.15. This represents a 1.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 169,012 shares of company stock valued at $346,475. 1.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kosmos Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in Kosmos Energy by 20.9% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 155,923 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $329,000 after purchasing an additional 27,004 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kosmos Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $114,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kosmos Energy by 813.3% during the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 1,376,536 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $2,904,000 after buying an additional 1,225,813 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in shares of Kosmos Energy by 151.0% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 17,312 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 10,415 shares during the period. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System raised its position in shares of Kosmos Energy by 20.9% during the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 159,576 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $337,000 after buying an additional 27,591 shares during the period. 95.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kosmos Energy Company Profile

Kosmos Energy Ltd. is an independent oil and gas exploration and production company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The company focuses on finding, developing and producing oil and natural gas resources, with an emphasis on offshore assets in emerging and established energy regions.

Kosmos has historically concentrated its operations along the Atlantic margins of West Africa, including interests in Ghana, Equatorial Guinea and the waters offshore Mauritania and Senegal. Its activities have included exploration, field development and production of crude oil and natural gas, as well as participation in projects designed to supply natural gas for liquefied natural gas (LNG) production and domestic markets.

Founded in 2003, Kosmos was involved in the discovery and development of major petroleum resources offshore Ghana, including the Jubilee and TEN fields.