Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) Shares Gap Up - Here's Why

Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE:KOS - Get Free Report)'s stock price gapped up before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $1.66, but opened at $1.79. Kosmos Energy shares last traded at $1.75, with a volume of 1,017,574 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Benchmark lowered shares of Kosmos Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of Kosmos Energy from $5.00 to $4.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Kosmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $5.27.

Kosmos Energy Trading Down 2.2 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $841.11 million, a P/E ratio of 4.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.24 and a beta of 1.94. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $2.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $3.17.

Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 24th. The oil and gas producer reported ($0.01) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.01 by ($0.02). Kosmos Energy had a net margin of 12.21% and a return on equity of 31.08%. The firm had revenue of $397.66 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $387.60 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Kosmos Energy Ltd. will post 0.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kosmos Energy

In related news, CFO Nealesh D. Shah sold 56,987 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.12, for a total value of $177,799.44. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 1,711,580 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,340,129.60. This trade represents a 3.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Ronald W. Glass sold 10,354 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.12, for a total transaction of $32,304.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 299,498 shares of the company's stock, valued at $934,433.76. This represents a 3.34 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 503,970 shares of company stock valued at $1,572,386 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 2.02% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kosmos Energy

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KOS. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in Kosmos Energy by 11.3% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 29,556,382 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $101,083,000 after acquiring an additional 2,997,438 shares in the last quarter. Equinox Partners Investment Management LLC raised its position in Kosmos Energy by 39.2% during the 4th quarter. Equinox Partners Investment Management LLC now owns 11,421,895 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $39,063,000 after buying an additional 3,218,394 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Kosmos Energy by 103.7% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,272,525 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $4,352,000 after purchasing an additional 647,921 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D boosted its position in 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 worth $1,836,000 after purchasing an additional 133,704 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 962,057 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.