Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) Shares Gap Up – Time to Buy?

Shares of Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE:KOS) gapped up prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $2.69, but opened at $2.93. Kosmos Energy shares last traded at $2.98, with a volume of 5,678,729 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on KOS. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Kosmos Energy from $1.75 to $2.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Kosmos Energy in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their target price on shares of Kosmos Energy from $1.70 to $0.80 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Johnson Rice raised shares of Kosmos Energy from an “accumulate” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $4.25 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Kosmos Energy from $2.00 to $1.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $2.19.

Kosmos Energy Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $1.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.94, a P/E/G ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.53, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $2.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1.59.

Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Saturday, February 14th. The oil and gas producer reported ($0.16) earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $294.62 million during the quarter. Kosmos Energy had a negative return on equity of 39.29% and a negative net margin of 54.18%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Kosmos Energy Ltd. will post 0.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Andrew G. Inglis bought 315,790 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $1.90 per share, with a total value of $600,001.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 4,542,807 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,631,333.30. The trade was a 7.47% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Josh R. Marion sold 19,656 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1.37, for a total transaction of $26,928.72. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 197,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $270,450.33. The trade was a 9.06% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have acquired 3,684,210 shares of company stock worth $6,999,999 and have sold 272,844 shares worth $377,592. Insiders own 1.99% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kosmos Energy

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Kosmos Energy by 56.7% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 387,739 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $884,000 after acquiring an additional 140,261 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Kosmos Energy by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 278,082 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $634,000 after purchasing an additional 12,045 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in shares of Kosmos Energy by 21.1% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 2,541,006 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $5,793,000 after purchasing an additional 443,384 shares during the period. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Kosmos Energy in the first quarter valued at $120,000. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in Kosmos Energy by 7.9% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 718,954 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,237,000 after purchasing an additional 52,750 shares during the period. 95.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.