Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) Trading 9% Higher – Here’s What Happened

Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE:KOS) shot up 9% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $2.27 and last traded at $2.2450. 11,775,933 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 40% from the average session volume of 19,496,645 shares. The stock had previously closed at $2.06.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $1.00 target price (down previously from $3.40) on shares of Kosmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price objective on 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. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Kosmos Energy in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Kosmos Energy in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $1.75 price objective on the stock. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Kosmos Energy from $2.00 to $1.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $2.08.

Kosmos Energy Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $1.06 billion, a PE ratio of -3.27 and a beta of 0.89. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $1.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $1.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Nealesh D. Shah sold 54,434 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1.37, for a total value of $74,574.58. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 1,729,857 shares in the company, valued at $2,369,904.09. This trade represents a 3.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Ronald W. Glass sold 19,285 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1.37, for a total value of $26,420.45. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 342,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $469,834.65. The trade was a 5.32% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 272,844 shares of company stock valued at $377,592. Company insiders own 2.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kosmos Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Blueshift Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Kosmos Energy in the second quarter worth $27,000. Ellevest Inc. bought a new stake in Kosmos Energy during the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Kosmos Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $42,000. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Kosmos Energy by 41.0% in the third quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 24,634 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 7,169 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Kosmos Energy by 34.1% during the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 27,089 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 6,888 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. 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.