YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) Shares Up 6.5% – Here’s Why

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) shares were up 6.5% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $46.24 and last traded at $46.5340. Approximately 2,268,802 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 18% from the average daily volume of 1,917,588 shares. The stock had previously closed at $43.68.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on YPF. Weiss Ratings lowered YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “hold (c)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $41.67.

YPF Sociedad Anónima Stock Up 3.6%

The stock has a market cap of $17.81 billion, a PE ratio of -21.44 and a beta of 1.44. The business has a fifty day moving average of $37.97 and a 200-day moving average of $34.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.68.

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The oil and gas exploration company reported ($1.67) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.77 by ($2.44). The firm had revenue of $4.56 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.14 million. YPF Sociedad Anónima had a negative net margin of 4.48% and a negative return on equity of 0.26%. Equities research analysts anticipate that YPF Sociedad Anónima will post 7.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Marcelo Gustavo Aldeco sold 12,719 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.61, for a total transaction of $554,675.59. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 101 shares in the company, valued at $4,404.61. The trade was a 99.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On YPF Sociedad Anónima

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in YPF. North of South Capital LLP boosted its stake in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima by 4.5% in the third quarter. North of South Capital LLP now owns 1,619,983 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $39,349,000 after buying an additional 69,634 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in YPF Sociedad Anónima by 55.7% during the second quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 3,379,408 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $106,282,000 after acquiring an additional 1,208,440 shares in the last quarter. Ping Capital Management Inc. raised its position in YPF Sociedad Anónima by 36.1% during the third quarter. Ping Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,017,000 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $48,993,000 after acquiring an additional 534,800 shares in the last quarter. Oaktree Fund Advisors LLC acquired a new position in YPF Sociedad Anónima in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,170,000. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new stake in YPF Sociedad Anónima in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $6,257,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 10.08% of the company’s stock.

YPF Sociedad Anónima Company Profile

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE: YPF) is an integrated oil and gas company headquartered in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The company’s primary businesses encompass upstream exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas, midstream transportation and storage, and downstream refining and distribution. YPF operates several major refineries and a nationwide network of service stations, supplying fuels, lubricants, and petrochemical products to both retail and industrial customers.

Founded in 1922 as Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales, YPF was the world’s first state‐owned oil company.