Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) Rating Lowered to “Hold” at Benchmark

Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Benchmark from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. StockNews.com downgraded Kosmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their target price on Kosmos Energy from $5.00 to $4.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Mizuho dropped their price target on Kosmos Energy from $5.00 to $4.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $5.60 price objective on shares of Kosmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kosmos Energy presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $5.52.

Kosmos Energy Stock Performance

Kosmos Energy stock opened at $2.49 on Tuesday. Kosmos Energy has a 52 week low of $2.45 and a 52 week high of $6.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25. The stock has a market cap of $1.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.24 and a beta of 2.41. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $3.32 and a 200-day moving average of $3.80.

Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 24th. The oil and gas producer reported ($0.01) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.01 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $397.66 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $387.60 million. Kosmos Energy had a net margin of 12.21% and a return on equity of 31.08%. On average, analysts expect that Kosmos Energy will post 0.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Andrew G. Inglis sold 102,701 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.12, for a total value of $320,427.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 4,236,691 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,218,475.92. This trade represents a 2.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Christopher James Ball sold 84,898 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.12, for a total transaction of $264,881.76. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,639,925 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,116,566. The trade was a 4.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 503,970 shares of company stock valued at $1,572,386. Insiders own 2.02% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kosmos Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its stake in Kosmos Energy by 215.1% during the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 451,780 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,545,000 after acquiring an additional 308,409 shares in the last quarter. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. bought a new stake in shares of Kosmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $490,000. GTS Securities LLC lifted its holdings in Kosmos Energy by 548.4% in the fourth quarter. GTS Securities LLC now owns 151,432 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $518,000 after purchasing an additional 128,076 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in Kosmos Energy by 23.2% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,097,622 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $7,174,000 after buying an additional 395,283 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wexford Capital LP acquired a new position in Kosmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $109,000. 95.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Kosmos Energy

Kosmos Energy Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas along the Atlantic Margins in the United States. The company’s primary assets include production projects located in offshore Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, and the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, as well as gas projects located in offshore Mauritania and Senegal.