Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) Shares Gap Up – Should You Buy?

Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE:KOS)’s share price gapped up prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $1.66, but opened at $1.79. Kosmos Energy shares last traded at $1.75, with a volume of 1,017,574 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Kosmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of Kosmos Energy from $5.00 to $4.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Benchmark lowered Kosmos Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $5.27.

Kosmos Energy Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $861.18 million, a PE ratio of 4.10, a PEG ratio of 5.24 and a beta of 1.94. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $2.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $3.21.

Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 24th. The oil and gas producer reported ($0.01) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.01 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $397.66 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $387.60 million. Kosmos Energy had a return on equity of 31.08% and a net margin of 12.21%. On average, equities analysts expect that Kosmos Energy Ltd. will post 0.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Ronald W. Glass sold 16,182 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.12, for a total transaction of $50,487.84. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 320,231 shares in the company, valued at approximately $999,120.72. This trade represents a 4.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Andrew G. Inglis sold 102,701 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.12, for a total value of $320,427.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 4,236,691 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,218,475.92. This trade represents a 2.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 503,970 shares of company stock valued at $1,572,386 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 2.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kosmos Energy

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of KOS. Encompass Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kosmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $35,723,000. Patient Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Kosmos Energy by 81.6% during the fourth quarter. Patient Capital Management LLC now owns 17,147,729 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $58,645,000 after buying an additional 7,707,707 shares during the period. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC increased its position in shares of Kosmos Energy by 22.1% in the fourth quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 32,627,567 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $111,586,000 after acquiring an additional 5,906,210 shares in the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Kosmos Energy by 28.1% in the 4th quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 18,743,734 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $64,104,000 after acquiring an additional 4,114,499 shares during the period. Finally, Equinox Partners Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kosmos Energy by 39.2% during the 4th quarter. Equinox Partners Investment Management LLC now owns 11,421,895 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $39,063,000 after acquiring an additional 3,218,394 shares in the last quarter. 95.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kosmos Energy Company Profile

Kosmos Energy Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas along the Atlantic Margins in the United States. The company’s primary assets include production projects located in offshore Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, and the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, as well as gas projects located in offshore Mauritania and Senegal.