Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) Shares Down 8.2% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE:KOS) dropped 8.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $2.31 and last traded at $2.36. Approximately 5,343,557 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 74% from the average daily volume of 20,829,016 shares. The stock had previously closed at $2.57.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Johnson Rice downgraded shares of Kosmos Energy from a “buy” rating to an “accumulate” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $4.50 to $3.50 in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Kosmos Energy in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $1.00 price objective (down from $3.40) on shares of Kosmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Kosmos Energy from $1.75 to $2.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Kosmos Energy from $2.00 to $1.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $2.08.

Kosmos Energy Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $1.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $1.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.69 and a beta of 0.76.

Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 2nd. The oil and gas producer reported ($0.16) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.14) by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $294.62 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $323.46 million. Kosmos Energy had a negative net margin of 54.18% and a negative return on equity of 34.63%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Kosmos Energy Ltd. will post 0.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Ronald W. Glass sold 19,285 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1.37, for a total transaction of $26,420.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 342,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $469,834.65. This represents a 5.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 197,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $270,450.33. This represents a 9.06% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 272,844 shares of company stock worth $377,592 in the last three months. 2.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its stake in Kosmos Energy by 93.9% during 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. Blueshift Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Kosmos Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Old Port Advisors acquired a new stake in Kosmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Cibc World Markets Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Kosmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Ellevest Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kosmos Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 95.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.