Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) Shares Gap Up – Here’s What Happened

Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE:KOS)’s stock 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 trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KOS has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Kosmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a 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 for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Benchmark cut Kosmos Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $5.27.

Kosmos Energy Price Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average is $2.31 and its 200 day moving average is $3.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $861.18 million, a PE ratio of 4.10, a P/E/G ratio of 5.24 and a beta of 1.94.

Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 24th. The oil and gas producer reported ($0.01) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.01 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $397.66 million for 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Kosmos Energy Ltd. will post 0.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Ronald W. Glass sold 10,354 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.12, for a total transaction of $32,304.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 299,498 shares in the company, valued at approximately $934,433.76. This represents a 3.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Andrew G. Inglis sold 138,689 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.12, for a total value of $432,709.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,959,000 shares in the company, valued at $12,352,080. This trade represents a 3.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 503,970 shares of company stock valued at $1,572,386. 2.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Kosmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Disciplined Investors L.L.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Kosmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Sapient Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kosmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Boothbay Fund Management LLC purchased a new position in Kosmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Inscription Capital LLC purchased a new position in Kosmos Energy during the first quarter worth about $46,000. 95.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.