Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) Stock Price Up 6.8% - What's Next?

Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE:KOS - Get Free Report)'s share price shot up 6.8% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $3.21 and last traded at $3.22. 2,224,896 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 69% from the average session volume of 7,192,728 shares. The stock had previously closed at $3.01.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on KOS. Benchmark decreased their price target on Kosmos Energy from $8.00 to $7.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Kosmos Energy from $5.00 to $4.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price target on Kosmos Energy from $5.00 to $4.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $5.60 target price on shares of Kosmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Kosmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kosmos Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $5.52.

Kosmos Energy Price Performance

The business has a fifty day moving average of $3.37 and a 200-day moving average of $3.96. The firm has a market cap of $1.46 billion, a PE ratio of 7.03, a PEG ratio of 4.69 and a beta of 2.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Nealesh D. Shah sold 56,987 shares of Kosmos Energy stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 1,711,580 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,340,129.60. The trade was a 3.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Ronald W. Glass sold 16,182 shares of the company'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 $50,487.84. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 320,231 shares of the company's stock, valued at $999,120.72. The trade was a 4.81 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 503,970 shares of company stock valued at $1,572,386 over the last quarter. 2.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC lifted its position in Kosmos Energy by 22.1% in the 4th quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 32,627,567 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $111,586,000 after acquiring an additional 5,906,210 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Kosmos Energy by 11.3% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 29,556,382 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $101,083,000 after buying an additional 2,997,438 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of Kosmos Energy by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 28,245,415 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $113,828,000 after purchasing an additional 1,933,216 shares in the last quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC increased its position in Kosmos Energy by 8.1% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Kosmos Energy by 28.1% during the 4th quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 18,743,734 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $64,104,000 after purchasing an additional 4,114,499 shares during the period. 95.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.