Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Kosmos Energy Call Options (NYSE:KOS)

Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE:KOS) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Investors purchased 7,659 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 45% compared to the typical daily volume of 5,280 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on KOS shares. Mizuho raised shares of Kosmos Energy to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Stephens reduced their price objective on Kosmos Energy from $3.00 to $2.40 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded Kosmos Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Kosmos Energy in a research note on Friday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered Kosmos Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $2.75 to $2.90 in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $2.37.

Kosmos Energy Trading Down 13.0%

NYSE:KOS traded down $0.37 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $2.48. 13,655,383 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 18,239,652. The company has a quick ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.58. Kosmos Energy has a 52 week low of $0.84 and a 52 week high of $3.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.08, a PEG ratio of 0.17 and a beta of 0.78. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $2.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $2.50.

Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 2nd. The oil and gas producer reported $0.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.13 by ($0.07). Kosmos Energy had a negative return on equity of 17.73% and a negative net margin of 33.98%. The firm had revenue of $410.06 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $466.11 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that Kosmos Energy will post 0.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Kosmos Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kosmos Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Caerus Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kosmos Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $31,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Kosmos Energy by 62.0% during the 3rd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 11,453 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 4,382 shares during the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kosmos Energy in the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kosmos Energy in the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Institutional investors own 95.33% of the company’s stock.

Kosmos Energy Company Profile

Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE: KOS) is an independent energy company engaged in the exploration, development and production of oil and natural gas. The company focuses primarily on offshore assets and seeks to develop resources in partnership with national oil companies, international energy companies and other industry participants.

Kosmos has historically operated across several regions, including offshore Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, Mauritania and Senegal, as well as the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.