Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Call Options on Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS)

Key Points

• On Wednesday, stock traders purchased a remarkable 4,133 call options on Kosmos Energy, marking an 80% increase over the average daily volume of 2,291 call options.
• Kosmos Energy recently reported a quarterly earnings loss of ($0.19) per share, falling short of the consensus estimate of ($0.06) and generating revenue of $393.52 million against expectations of $444.26 million.
• Institutional investors now own approximately 95.33% of Kosmos Energy's stock, reflecting significant interest from hedge funds as they modify their holdings.

Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE:KOS - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock traders bought 4,133 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 80% compared to the typical daily volume of 2,291 call options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kosmos Energy

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vident Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kosmos Energy in the 1st quarter worth $30,000. Foster Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kosmos Energy in the second quarter worth $26,000. Blueshift Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kosmos Energy in the second quarter worth $27,000. Verum Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kosmos Energy in the second quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft acquired a new stake in shares of Kosmos Energy in the second quarter worth $30,000. 95.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kosmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of KOS stock traded up $0.03 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $1.69. 1,827,152 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,037,488. Kosmos Energy has a twelve month low of $1.39 and a twelve month high of $4.69. The firm has a market cap of $806.81 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.14 and a beta of 1.57. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $1.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.56, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.45.

Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The oil and gas producer reported ($0.19) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.06) by ($0.13). Kosmos Energy had a negative net margin of 10.74% and a negative return on equity of 14.16%. The firm had revenue of $393.52 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $444.26 million. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Kosmos Energy will post 0.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on KOS shares. Benchmark reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Kosmos Energy in a report on Thursday, June 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $2.00 price target (down from $3.00) on shares of Kosmos Energy in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price target on Kosmos Energy from $3.00 to $2.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $4.12.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.