Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) Shares Gap Up - Should You Buy?

Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE:KOS - Get Free Report) shares gapped up prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $2.09, but opened at $2.25. Kosmos Energy shares last traded at $2.28, with a volume of 4,377,066 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on KOS shares. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Kosmos Energy from $4.00 to $3.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Benchmark reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Kosmos Energy in a research report on Thursday, June 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Kosmos Energy from $3.50 to $3.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Kosmos Energy to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $4.93.

Kosmos Energy Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.05 billion, a PE ratio of 4.99, a P/E/G ratio of 5.24 and a beta of 1.44. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $1.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $2.57.

Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The oil and gas producer reported ($0.22) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.15) by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $290.43 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $338.23 million. Kosmos Energy had a net margin of 12.21% and a return on equity of 31.08%. Research analysts expect that Kosmos Energy Ltd. will post 0.42 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Kosmos Energy

In other Kosmos Energy news, Director John Douglas Kelso Grant sold 27,923 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 29,921 shares in the company, valued at $54,157.01. This represents a 48.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.99% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kosmos Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC raised its holdings in Kosmos Energy by 22.1% in 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 in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew 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 buying an additional 2,997,438 shares during the last quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Kosmos Energy by 9.0% during the 1st quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 25,527,101 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $58,202,000 after acquiring an additional 2,110,306 shares in the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 4,114,499 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Patient Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Kosmos Energy by 81.6% during the fourth quarter. Patient Capital Management LLC now owns 17,147,729 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $58,645,000 after acquiring 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.

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.