YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) Trading Up 4% – Still a Buy?

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF)’s share price was up 4% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $56.94 and last traded at $56.7870. 1,076,986 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 41% from the average session volume of 1,823,638 shares. The stock had previously closed at $54.61.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 18th. Weiss Ratings raised YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. UBS Group lifted their target price on YPF Sociedad Anónima from $48.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. HSBC raised shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $60.33.

YPF Sociedad Anónima Trading Down 1.0%

The company has a market capitalization of $21.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.22 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $50.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $46.81.

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $3.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.26 by $0.81. The business had revenue of $6.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.99 billion. YPF Sociedad Anónima had a return on equity of 10.86% and a net margin of 3.60%. On average, equities analysts predict that YPF Sociedad Anónima will post 7.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at YPF Sociedad Anónima

In other YPF Sociedad Anónima news, VP Matias Osvaldo Farina acquired 8,875 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $45.22 per share, for a total transaction of $401,327.50. Following the acquisition, the vice president directly owned 55,687 shares in the company, valued at $2,518,166.14. This represents a 18.96% increase 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 Horacio Daniel Marin acquired 2,840 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $46.35 per share, with a total value of $131,634.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 92,193 shares in the company, valued at $4,273,145.55. The trade was a 3.18% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information.

Institutional Trading of YPF Sociedad Anónima

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Oaktree Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima during the 1st quarter valued at about $40,972,000. Equinox Partners Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima during the 1st quarter valued at $21,585,000. UBS Group AG boosted its stake 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 in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in YPF Sociedad Anónima by 161.2% in 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 purchasing an additional 350,842 shares during the period. Finally, Candriam S.C.A. grew its holdings in YPF Sociedad Anónima by 202.0% in the first quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 444,000 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $20,522,000 after purchasing an additional 297,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 10.08% of the company’s stock.

About YPF Sociedad Anónima

YPF Sociedad Anónima is an Argentine integrated energy company engaged in the exploration, development and production of crude oil and natural gas. The company operates across Argentina, including the Vaca Muerta formation in the Neuquén Basin, one of the country’s most important unconventional hydrocarbon regions.

YPF’s downstream operations include refining crude oil, marketing fuels and lubricants, producing petrochemicals, and distributing petroleum products through a network of service stations and commercial channels.