Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Sells 16,386,674 Shares of Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE:KOS)

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lowered its holdings in Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE:KOS - Free Report) by 80.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,008,525 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after selling 16,386,674 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned about 0.84% of Kosmos Energy worth $9,139,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kosmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Disciplined Investors L.L.C. bought a new position in Kosmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Boothbay Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kosmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Sapient Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Kosmos Energy by 125.4% during the 1st quarter. Sapient Capital LLC now owns 24,161 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 13,441 shares in the last quarter. Finally, RPO LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kosmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $59,000. 95.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on KOS. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of Kosmos Energy from $3.50 to $3.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 19th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Kosmos Energy from $4.00 to $3.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Kosmos Energy to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Kosmos Energy in a report on Thursday, June 5th. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $4.93.

Insider Activity at Kosmos Energy

In related news, Director John Douglas Kelso Grant sold 27,923 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1.81, for a total transaction of $50,540.63. Following the sale, the director now owns 29,921 shares of the company's stock, valued at $54,157.01. This represents a 48.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.99% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Kosmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of KOS stock traded down $0.06 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $2.20. 17,281,516 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,964,929. Kosmos Energy Ltd. has a 52 week low of $1.39 and a 52 week high of $5.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.99, a PEG ratio of 5.24 and a beta of 1.44. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $1.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $2.57. 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 - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The oil and gas producer reported ($0.22) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.15) by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $290.43 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $338.23 million. Kosmos Energy had a return on equity of 31.08% and a net margin of 12.21%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Kosmos Energy Ltd. will post 0.42 earnings per share for the current year.

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.