Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) Shares Up 8.8% – Here’s Why

Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE:KOS)’s stock price shot up 8.8% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $3.83 and last traded at $3.72. 3,159,174 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 57% from the average session volume of 7,379,337 shares. The stock had previously closed at $3.42.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on KOS shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Kosmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $5.60 target price on shares of Kosmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Benchmark decreased their price objective on Kosmos Energy from $8.00 to $7.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Mizuho cut their target price on Kosmos Energy from $5.00 to $4.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Kosmos Energy from $8.15 to $7.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Kosmos Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $5.52.

Kosmos Energy Trading Up 3.5 %

The company has a 50 day moving average of $3.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $4.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.82 billion, a PE ratio of 8.75, a P/E/G ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 2.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.75.

Institutional Trading of Kosmos Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Kosmos Energy by 7.3% during the third quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 28,245,415 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $113,828,000 after purchasing an additional 1,933,216 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Kosmos Energy by 17.2% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 24,814,072 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $137,470,000 after buying an additional 3,636,663 shares during the period. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kosmos Energy by 8.1% in the third quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 21,141,815 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $85,202,000 after buying an additional 1,588,990 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Kosmos Energy by 13.5% during the second quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 13,620,854 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $75,460,000 after acquiring an additional 1,624,495 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Kosmos Energy by 0.7% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,580,979 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $42,650,000 after acquiring an additional 68,339 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., 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.