Kosmos Energy Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:KOS)

Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE:KOS) saw some unusual options trading on Thursday. Stock investors purchased 16,738 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 109% compared to the typical daily volume of 8,002 call options.

Insider Activity at Kosmos Energy

In other news, Director Adebayo O. Ogunlesi acquired 3,157,895 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $1.90 per share, for a total transaction of $6,000,000.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 4,974,184 shares in the company, valued at $9,450,949.60. The trade was a 173.87% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Andrew G. Inglis purchased 315,790 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $1.90 per share, with a total value of $600,001.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,542,807 shares in the company, valued at $8,631,333.30. The trade was a 7.47% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have acquired 3,684,210 shares of company stock worth $6,999,999 and have sold 272,844 shares worth $377,592. Corporate insiders own 1.99% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kosmos Energy

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its holdings in Kosmos Energy by 93.9% in the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 28,601 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 13,854 shares during the period. Blueshift Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Kosmos Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Old Port Advisors bought a new position in shares of Kosmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Cibc World Markets Corp purchased a new position in Kosmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its holdings in Kosmos Energy by 35.7% during the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 42,577 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 11,209 shares during the period. 95.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kosmos Energy Trading Up 3.0%

NYSE:KOS traded up $0.08 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $2.74. The company had a trading volume of 18,096,027 shares, compared to its average volume of 25,035,344. Kosmos Energy has a 52 week low of $0.84 and a 52 week high of $2.86. The company has a market capitalization of $1.32 billion, a PE ratio of -1.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 0.76. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $1.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $1.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.53, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.45.

Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 2nd. The oil and gas producer reported ($0.16) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.14) by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $294.62 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $323.46 million. Kosmos Energy had a negative net margin of 54.18% and a negative return on equity of 39.29%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Kosmos Energy will post 0.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on KOS shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced 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. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Kosmos Energy from $2.00 to $1.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Kosmos Energy in a research report on Monday, December 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Kosmos Energy from $1.75 to $2.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $1.00 price target (down from $3.40) on shares of Kosmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $2.08.

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.