Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) Trading 5.3% Higher – Time to Buy?

Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE:KOS) shares rose 5.3% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $2.98 and last traded at $2.97. Approximately 5,256,989 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 74% from the average session volume of 19,858,928 shares. The stock had previously closed at $2.82.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Mizuho upgraded Kosmos Energy to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Kosmos Energy in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Stephens decreased their price objective on shares of Kosmos Energy from $3.00 to $2.40 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Kosmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut shares of Kosmos Energy to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $2.53.

Kosmos Energy Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.58, a current ratio of 0.59 and a quick ratio of 0.38. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $2.42 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $2.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.22 and a beta of 0.72.

Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The oil and gas producer reported $0.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $607.25 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $483.23 million. Kosmos Energy had a negative net margin of 33.98% and a negative return on equity of 17.73%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Kosmos Energy Ltd. will post 0.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Kosmos Energy news, Director Roy A. Franklin sold 43,466 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.73, for a total value of $118,662.18. Following the sale, the director owned 150,722 shares in the company, valued at approximately $411,471.06. This trade represents a 22.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Director Steven Sterin sold 38,636 shares of Kosmos Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.73, for a total value of $105,476.28. Following the sale, the director directly owned 331,295 shares in the company, valued at approximately $904,435.35. This trade represents a 10.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 294,580 shares of company stock worth $689,275 over the last three months. Insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kosmos Energy during the second quarter valued at $25,000. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its holdings in Kosmos Energy by 93.9% in the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 28,601 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 13,854 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Kosmos Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new position in Kosmos Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Cibc World Markets Corp acquired a new position in Kosmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.33% of the company’s stock.

Kosmos Energy Company Profile

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.