Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) Stock Price Up 11.6% – What’s Next?

Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE:KOS)’s share price shot up 11.6% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $1.76 and last traded at $1.7850. 17,189,488 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 11% from the average session volume of 19,231,898 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1.60.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KOS has been the subject of several analyst reports. 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. 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 target price on the stock. Bank of America reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a $1.00 price target (down from $3.40) on shares of Kosmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Kosmos Energy from $1.75 to $2.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price objective on Kosmos Energy from $1.70 to $0.80 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $2.08.

Kosmos Energy Price Performance

The business’s 50 day moving average is $1.14 and its 200-day moving average is $1.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $863.39 million, a P/E ratio of -2.65 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Nealesh D. Shah sold 24,690 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1.42, for a total value of $35,059.80. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 1,705,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,421,337.14. This trade represents a 1.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Josh R. Marion sold 19,656 shares of Kosmos Energy stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1.37, for a total value of $26,928.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 197,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $270,450.33. This represents a 9.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 272,844 shares of company stock worth $377,592. 2.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kosmos Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in KOS. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in Kosmos Energy by 175.2% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 6,766,857 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $6,140,000 after purchasing an additional 4,308,275 shares in the last quarter. Ellevest Inc. grew its stake in shares of Kosmos Energy by 196.8% during the fourth quarter. Ellevest Inc. now owns 174,902 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $159,000 after buying an additional 115,969 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Kosmos Energy by 8.0% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,272,318 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $10,230,000 after buying an additional 832,029 shares during the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kosmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth $136,000. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lifted its stake in shares of Kosmos Energy by 27.9% in the 4th quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 153,669 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $139,000 after acquiring an additional 33,520 shares during the last quarter. 95.33% of the stock is currently 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.