YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) Reaches New 1-Year High Following Analyst Upgrade

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday after Morgan Stanley upgraded the stock from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating. The company traded as high as $47.84 and last traded at $46.1240, with a volume of 4823266 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $45.17.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Marcelo Gustavo Aldeco sold 12,719 shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.61, for a total value of $554,675.59. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 101 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,404.61. This trade represents a 99.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Mauricio Alejandro Martin sold 3,430 shares of the business’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 transaction of $149,548.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 14 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $610.40. This represents a 99.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On YPF Sociedad Anónima

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Sunbelt Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima by 488.3% during the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 1,353 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 1,123 shares in the last quarter. Global Trust Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in YPF Sociedad Anónima in the fourth quarter valued at about $43,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in YPF Sociedad Anónima in the fourth quarter valued at about $59,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its position in YPF Sociedad Anónima by 58.8% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,034 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $74,000 after acquiring an additional 1,123 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its position in YPF Sociedad Anónima by 13.7% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 2,598 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $94,000 after acquiring an additional 314 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 10.08% of the company’s stock.

YPF Sociedad Anónima Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $18.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -21.86 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $38.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of $34.56.

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

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.