Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) Shares Gap Up - Here's Why

Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE:KOS - Get Free Report) shares gapped up prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $1.66, but opened at $1.74. Kosmos Energy shares last traded at $1.80, with a volume of 1,765,873 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KOS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Benchmark downgraded Kosmos Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on Kosmos Energy from $3.50 to $3.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Mizuho dropped their price target on Kosmos Energy from $4.00 to $3.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Kosmos Energy to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $4.93.

Kosmos Energy Price Performance

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $1.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $2.68. 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 company has a market cap of $862.81 million, a P/E ratio of 4.10, a PEG ratio of 5.24 and a beta of 1.46.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kosmos Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Stifel Financial Corp grew its holdings in shares of Kosmos Energy by 24.9% during the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 19,711 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 3,932 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Kosmos Energy by 10.7% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 45,393 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $155,000 after acquiring an additional 4,381 shares in the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its holdings in shares of Kosmos Energy by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 171,852 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $588,000 after acquiring an additional 6,300 shares in the last quarter. Xponance Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Kosmos Energy by 21.1% during the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 37,047 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $127,000 after acquiring an additional 6,460 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Kosmos Energy by 17.0% in the first quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 45,840 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 6,649 shares in 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.