Traders Purchase Large Volume of Kosmos Energy Put Options (NYSE:KOS)

Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE:KOS) was the target of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock traders acquired 14,718 put options on the company. This represents an increase of 359% compared to the typical volume of 3,205 put options.

Kosmos Energy Stock Up 2.4 %

Kosmos Energy stock traded up $0.06 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $2.33. The stock had a trading volume of 7,849,329 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,666,083. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25. Kosmos Energy has a 52-week low of $2.07 and a 52-week high of $6.58. The stock has a market cap of $1.11 billion, a PE ratio of 5.31, a P/E/G ratio of 5.24 and a beta of 2.31. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $3.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $3.58.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Benchmark downgraded Kosmos Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. StockNews.com cut shares of Kosmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $5.60 price objective on shares of Kosmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Kosmos Energy from $5.00 to $4.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $5.52.

Insider Transactions at Kosmos Energy

In other news, CEO Andrew G. Inglis sold 138,689 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.12, for a total value of $432,709.68. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,959,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,352,080. This represents a 3.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Ronald W. Glass sold 10,354 shares of Kosmos Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.12, for a total transaction of $32,304.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 299,498 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $934,433.76. This trade represents a 3.34 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 503,970 shares of company stock worth $1,572,386. 2.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kosmos Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in Kosmos Energy by 11.3% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,702,339 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $6,860,000 after acquiring an additional 172,966 shares during the last quarter. Equinox Partners Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kosmos Energy by 39.2% in the 4th quarter. Equinox Partners Investment Management LLC now owns 11,421,895 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $39,063,000 after purchasing an additional 3,218,394 shares during the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lifted its holdings in shares of Kosmos Energy by 33.2% in the 4th quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 536,870 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,836,000 after purchasing an additional 133,704 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its stake in Kosmos Energy by 46.5% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 3,032,782 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $12,221,000 after buying an additional 962,057 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC increased its position in Kosmos Energy by 8.1% during 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 period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.33% of the company’s stock.

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.