Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE:KOS) Short Interest Down 26.1% in March

Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE:KOS) saw a significant drop in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 35,855,920 shares, a drop of 26.1% from the February 26th total of 48,510,803 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 43,082,346 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.8 days. Currently, 7.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Kosmos Energy Price Performance

NYSE KOS traded up $0.04 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $2.91. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 28,651,038 shares, compared to its average volume of 38,196,260. The stock has a market cap of $1.40 billion, a PE ratio of -1.99, a PEG ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 0.76. Kosmos Energy has a fifty-two week low of $0.84 and a fifty-two week high of $3.01. The company’s 50-day moving average is $2.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.53, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.75.

Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) last announced its earnings results on Saturday, February 14th. The oil and gas producer reported ($0.16) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Kosmos Energy had a negative return on equity of 39.29% and a negative net margin of 54.18%.The business had revenue of $294.62 million for the quarter. Analysts forecast that Kosmos Energy will post 0.42 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KOS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Kosmos Energy from $1.75 to $2.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target 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 Kosmos Energy from an “accumulate” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $4.25 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Bank of America restated an “underperform” rating and issued a $1.00 price target (down from $3.40) on shares of Kosmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Kosmos Energy in a report on Monday, December 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $2.19.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Andrew G. Inglis purchased 315,790 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $1.90 per share, for a total transaction of $600,001.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,542,807 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,631,333.30. This trade represents a 7.47% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Josh R. Marion sold 19,656 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1.37, for a total transaction of $26,928.72. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 197,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $270,450.33. This trade represents a 9.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have acquired 3,684,210 shares of company stock valued at $6,999,999 and have sold 272,844 shares valued at $377,592. 1.99% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Equinox Partners Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Kosmos Energy by 41.6% during the 2nd quarter. Equinox Partners Investment Management LLC now owns 18,671,480 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $32,115,000 after buying an additional 5,485,000 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in Kosmos Energy by 175.2% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 6,766,857 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $6,140,000 after buying an additional 4,308,275 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Kosmos Energy by 66.9% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 7,048,196 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $6,396,000 after acquiring an additional 2,825,517 shares during the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kosmos Energy by 333.0% in the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 3,221,011 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $5,540,000 after acquiring an additional 2,477,102 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M&G PLC lifted its position in shares of Kosmos Energy by 38.3% in the third quarter. M&G PLC now owns 7,978,144 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $13,244,000 after acquiring an additional 2,210,302 shares in the last quarter. 95.33% of the stock is currently 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.