Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) Stock Price Down 16.4% – Here’s What Happened

Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE:KOS)’s share price fell 16.4% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $1.94 and last traded at $1.91. 2,591,299 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 67% from the average session volume of 7,824,371 shares. The stock had previously closed at $2.28.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on Kosmos Energy from $5.00 to $4.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Kosmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Benchmark lowered Kosmos Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $5.60 price target on shares of Kosmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Kosmos Energy from $5.00 to $4.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $5.27.

Kosmos Energy Price Performance

The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $2.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $3.44. The stock has a market cap of $896.07 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.24 and a beta of 2.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.75.

Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). Kosmos Energy had a return on equity of 31.08% and a net margin of 12.21%. The firm had revenue of $397.66 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $387.60 million. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Kosmos Energy Ltd. will post 0.42 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Nealesh D. Shah sold 78,015 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.12, for a total value of $243,406.80. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 1,555,374 shares in the company, valued at $4,852,766.88. This represents a 4.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Andrew G. Inglis sold 102,701 shares of Kosmos Energy stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.12, for a total value of $320,427.12. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 4,236,691 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,218,475.92. This trade represents a 2.37 % 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 valued at $1,572,386. 2.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its holdings in Kosmos Energy by 215.1% during the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 451,780 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,545,000 after acquiring an additional 308,409 shares during the last quarter. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. purchased a new stake in Kosmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $490,000. GTS Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of Kosmos Energy by 548.4% during the 4th quarter. GTS Securities LLC now owns 151,432 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $518,000 after buying an additional 128,076 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in shares of Kosmos Energy by 23.2% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,097,622 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $7,174,000 after buying an additional 395,283 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wexford Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of Kosmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $109,000. Institutional investors own 95.33% of the company’s stock.

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.