Traders Buy Large Volume of Kosmos Energy Put Options (NYSE:KOS)

Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE:KOS - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Investors purchased 14,718 put options on the company. This represents an increase of 359% compared to the average volume of 3,205 put options.

Kosmos Energy Trading Down 1.9 %

Shares of KOS stock traded down $0.05 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $2.27. 13,744,267 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,704,837. The company has a market cap of $1.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.24 and a beta of 2.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $2.95 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $3.53. Kosmos Energy has a 1-year low of $2.07 and a 1-year high of $6.58.

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

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Insider Transactions at Kosmos Energy

In related news, SVP Josh R. Marion sold 16,144 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.12, for a total transaction of $50,369.28. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 172,057 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $536,817.84. This represents a 8.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed 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 transaction of $50,487.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 320,231 shares of the company's stock, valued at $999,120.72. This trade represents a 4.81 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 503,970 shares of company stock worth $1,572,386. Corporate insiders own 2.02% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kosmos Energy

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in KOS. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC lifted its stake in Kosmos Energy by 22.1% during the fourth quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 32,627,567 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $111,586,000 after purchasing an additional 5,906,210 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Kosmos Energy by 11.3% in 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 purchasing an additional 2,997,438 shares during the period. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Kosmos Energy by 8.1% during the third quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 21,141,815 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $85,202,000 after purchasing an additional 1,588,990 shares in the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kosmos Energy by 28.1% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Finally, Patient Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Kosmos Energy by 81.6% in the fourth quarter. Patient Capital Management LLC now owns 17,147,729 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $58,645,000 after buying an additional 7,707,707 shares during the last quarter. 95.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com lowered Kosmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Kosmos Energy from $5.00 to $4.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $5.60 price target on shares of Kosmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Benchmark cut Kosmos Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $5.52.

Kosmos Energy Company Profile

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.