Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE:KOS) Given Average Rating of "Reduce" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is cautious on Kosmos Energy, with nine covering analysts giving it an average rating of “Reduce” and an average 12-month price target of about $2.44.
• Executives recently sold shares: CEO Andrew G. Inglis and CFO Nealesh D. Shah both sold stock under pre-arranged trading plans, and insiders have sold a total of 294,580 shares over the past 90 days.
• Recent financial results disappointed, as the company reported a $0.07 EPS loss versus expectations for a profit and revenue came in below analyst estimates, while the stock was trading around $2.48.

Shares of Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE:KOS - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Reduce" from the nine analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $2.4357.

Several research firms recently issued reports on KOS. Weiss Ratings downgraded Kosmos Energy from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut Kosmos Energy to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Mizuho reiterated an "underperform" rating and set a $3.00 price target (up from $2.00) on shares of Kosmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Kosmos Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $2.25 target price for the company. in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Johnson Rice upgraded Kosmos Energy from an "accumulate" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $4.25 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th.

Insider Activity at Kosmos Energy

In other Kosmos Energy news, CEO Andrew G. Inglis sold 85,935 shares of Kosmos Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.05, for a total transaction of $176,166.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,678,043 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,589,988.15. The trade was a 1.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Nealesh D. Shah sold 45,980 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.05, for a total transaction of $94,259.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 1,935,410 shares in the company, valued at $3,967,590.50. This trade represents a 2.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 294,580 shares of company stock worth $689,275 in the last ninety days. 1.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its position in Kosmos Energy by 93.9% during the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 28,601 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 13,854 shares during the period. Old Port Advisors acquired a new position in shares of Kosmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Cibc World Markets Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Kosmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Kosmos Energy during the first quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Caerus Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Kosmos Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 95.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kosmos Energy Stock Up 1.6%

NYSE:KOS opened at $2.48 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.56. Kosmos Energy has a twelve month low of $0.84 and a twelve month high of $3.34. The company has a market cap of $1.47 billion, a PE ratio of -1.48, a P/E/G ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 0.71. The company's 50 day moving average is $2.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $2.25.

Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The oil and gas producer reported ($0.07) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.08 by ($0.15). Kosmos Energy had a negative return on equity of 37.60% and a negative net margin of 59.38%.The company had revenue of $370.73 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $405.21 million. Analysts anticipate that Kosmos Energy will post 0.29 EPS for the current year.

About Kosmos Energy

Kosmos Energy Ltd. is an independent oil and gas exploration and production company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Since its founding in 2003, the company has focused on identifying and developing hydrocarbon reserves in frontier and emerging basins around the world. Kosmos combines geological and geophysical expertise with a disciplined approach to acreage acquisition and partner selection to pursue high‐impact offshore exploration opportunities.

The company's portfolio is anchored by assets in West Africa and the Gulf of Mexico.

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