Kosmos Energy Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:KOS)

Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE:KOS) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Friday. Investors purchased 19,453 call options on the company. This is an increase of 282% compared to the typical daily volume of 5,098 call options.

Kosmos Energy Stock Performance

KOS traded up $0.33 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $2.10. The company had a trading volume of 27,913,391 shares, compared to its average volume of 19,317,041. The business has a 50-day moving average of $1.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04. Kosmos Energy has a 1 year low of $0.84 and a 1 year high of $3.36. The company has a market cap of $1.00 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.07 and a beta of 0.90.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on KOS. Bank of America restated an “underperform” rating and issued a $1.00 target price (down previously from $3.40) on shares of Kosmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Kosmos Energy in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Kosmos Energy from $2.00 to $1.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their target price on Kosmos Energy from $1.70 to $0.80 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Stephens began coverage on Kosmos Energy in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $1.75 price target for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $2.08.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Nealesh D. Shah sold 54,434 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1.37, for a total transaction of $74,574.58. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 1,729,857 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,369,904.09. This trade represents a 3.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Andrew G. Inglis sold 103,554 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1.37, for a total value of $141,868.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,271,645 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,852,153.65. This trade represents a 2.37% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 272,844 shares of company stock valued at $377,592. Company insiders own 1.99% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kosmos Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Kosmos Energy by 56.7% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 387,739 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $884,000 after purchasing an additional 140,261 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Kosmos Energy by 4.5% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 278,082 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $634,000 after acquiring an additional 12,045 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in shares of Kosmos Energy by 21.1% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 2,541,006 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $5,793,000 after purchasing an additional 443,384 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in Kosmos Energy during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $120,000. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC raised its stake in Kosmos Energy by 34.1% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 27,089 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 6,888 shares during the period. 95.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kosmos Energy Company Profile

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.