Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) Cut to Sell at The Goldman Sachs Group

Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) was downgraded by research analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday. They currently have a $2.25 target price on the oil and gas producer’s stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s price objective suggests a potential downside of 19.06% from the stock’s current price.

KOS has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Kosmos Energy in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Kosmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price target 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 reduced their price objective on Kosmos Energy from $2.00 to $1.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Johnson Rice raised Kosmos Energy from an “accumulate” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $4.25 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $2.22.

Kosmos Energy Trading Down 8.3%

Shares of KOS opened at $2.78 on Thursday. Kosmos Energy has a 52-week low of $0.84 and a 52-week high of $3.17. The stock has a market cap of $1.34 billion, a PE ratio of -1.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 0.65. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $2.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.53.

Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) last issued its earnings results on Saturday, February 14th. The oil and gas producer reported ($0.16) EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $294.62 million during the quarter. Kosmos Energy had a negative net margin of 54.18% and a negative return on equity of 39.29%. Research analysts forecast that Kosmos Energy will post 0.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Andrew G. Inglis purchased 315,790 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $1.90 per share, with a total value of $600,001.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,542,807 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,631,333.30. This represents a 7.47% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Josh R. Marion sold 19,656 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1.37, for a total transaction of $26,928.72. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 197,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $270,450.33. This represents a 9.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders acquired 3,684,210 shares of company stock worth $6,999,999 and sold 272,844 shares worth $377,592. Company insiders own 1.99% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kosmos Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kosmos Energy by 41.0% during the 3rd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 24,634 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 7,169 shares during the period. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC increased its position in shares of Kosmos Energy by 18.8% during the 2nd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 57,782 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $99,000 after purchasing an additional 9,159 shares during the last quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in Kosmos Energy by 30.3% in the 4th quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 45,539 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 10,598 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its holdings in Kosmos Energy by 35.7% in 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. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in Kosmos Energy by 4.5% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 278,082 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $634,000 after buying an additional 12,045 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.33% of the company’s stock.

About Kosmos Energy

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.