Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) Trading Up 4.1% – Still a Buy?

Shares of Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE:KOS) rose 4.1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $3.06 and last traded at $3.04. 1,607,821 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 92% from the average daily volume of 19,068,564 shares. The stock had previously closed at $2.92.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on KOS. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded shares of Kosmos Energy to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Mizuho upgraded shares of Kosmos Energy to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Kosmos Energy in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Stephens lowered their price target on Kosmos Energy from $3.00 to $2.40 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Kosmos Energy from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $2.53.

Kosmos Energy Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.58. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $2.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $2.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.58, a PEG ratio of 0.20 and a beta of 0.73.

Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) last posted its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The oil and gas producer reported $0.11 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $607.25 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $483.23 million. Kosmos Energy had a negative return on equity of 17.73% and a negative net margin of 33.98%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Kosmos Energy Ltd. will post 0.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kosmos Energy

In other news, CEO Andrew G. Inglis sold 85,935 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.05, for a total value of $176,166.75. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 4,678,043 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,589,988.15. This represents a 1.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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, SVP Josh R. Marion sold 24,969 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.05, for a total transaction of $51,186.45. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 233,404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $478,478.20. This trade represents a 9.66% decrease in their position. 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. Over the last three months, insiders sold 169,012 shares of company stock valued at $346,475. 1.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kosmos Energy

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

About Kosmos Energy

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.