YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) Price Target Raised to $45.00

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) had its target price raised by UBS Group from $37.00 to $45.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the oil and gas exploration company’s stock.

YPF has been the subject of several other reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “hold (c)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Zacks Research raised shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, YPF Sociedad Anónima has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $45.67.

YPF Sociedad Anónima Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE YPF opened at $43.42 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $40.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $37.26. YPF Sociedad Anónima has a 1 year low of $22.82 and a 1 year high of $48.96. The company has a market capitalization of $17.08 billion, a PE ratio of -20.58 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.87.

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The oil and gas exploration company reported ($1.67) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by ($2.44). YPF Sociedad Anónima had a negative return on equity of 0.26% and a negative net margin of 4.48%.The firm had revenue of $4.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.14 million. On average, research analysts predict that YPF Sociedad Anónima will post 6.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other YPF Sociedad Anónima news, VP Marcelo Gustavo Aldeco sold 12,719 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 101 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,404.61. This represents a 99.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Mauricio Alejandro Martin sold 3,430 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.60, for a total value of $149,548.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 14 shares in the company, valued at approximately $610.40. This trade represents a 99.59% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. VR Advisory Services Ltd lifted its holdings in YPF Sociedad Anónima by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. VR Advisory Services Ltd now owns 3,605,533 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $87,578,000 after purchasing an additional 200,000 shares in the last quarter. Ping Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima by 36.1% in the third quarter. Ping Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,017,000 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $48,993,000 after buying an additional 534,800 shares in the last quarter. North of South Capital LLP lifted its stake in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. North of South Capital LLP now owns 1,670,378 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $60,401,000 after buying an additional 50,395 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG boosted its position in YPF Sociedad Anónima by 125.2% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 651,384 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $15,822,000 after acquiring an additional 362,155 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in YPF Sociedad Anónima by 161.2% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 568,507 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $17,880,000 after acquiring an additional 350,842 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 10.08% of the company’s stock.

About YPF Sociedad Anónima

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.