Pampa Energia (NYSE:PAM) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Buy

Pampa Energia (NYSE:PAM) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Saturday.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on PAM. HSBC upgraded Pampa Energia from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $88.00 to $97.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Pampa Energia from $97.50 to $101.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Zacks Research cut Pampa Energia from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Pampa Energia in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $103.83.

Pampa Energia Price Performance

PAM stock opened at $86.44 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $4.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.78, a P/E/G ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 1.78. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $83.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $84.27. Pampa Energia has a 1 year low of $54.95 and a 1 year high of $94.50.

Pampa Energia (NYSE:PAM) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The utilities provider reported $4.00 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $573.00 million for the quarter. Pampa Energia had a net margin of 20.31% and a return on equity of 12.23%. Research analysts anticipate that Pampa Energia will post 9.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Pampa Energia

In related news, insider Damian Miguel Mindlin sold 555,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.55, for a total value of $1,970,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 12,541,870 shares in the company, valued at $44,523,638.50. This represents a 4.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Gustavo Mariani acquired 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $81.40 per share, with a total value of $2,035,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the vice president directly owned 1,566,184 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $127,487,377.60. This trade represents a 1.62% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 9,137,500 shares of company stock worth $31,730,775. Company insiders own 55.52% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pampa Energia

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. PointState Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Pampa Energia in the fourth quarter worth approximately $24,006,000. Fundamenta Capital S.A. acquired a new stake in Pampa Energia during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $23,496,000. Helikon Investments Ltd raised its holdings in Pampa Energia by 41.9% during the 3rd quarter. Helikon Investments Ltd now owns 698,775 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $41,968,000 after purchasing an additional 206,197 shares during the last quarter. Absolute Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. raised its holdings in Pampa Energia by 198.1% during the 1st quarter. Absolute Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. now owns 287,383 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,433,000 after purchasing an additional 190,963 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda acquired a new position in shares of Pampa Energia in the 1st quarter worth approximately $14,482,000. 12.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Pampa Energia

Pampa Energía SA is Argentina’s largest independent energy company, with integrated operations spanning electricity generation, transmission, distribution and oil and gas activities. The company holds a diversified portfolio of thermal and hydroelectric power plants, along with growing investments in renewable energy projects, serving both domestic and regional markets.

In its electricity business, Pampa Energía develops and operates plants that supply energy to Argentina’s power grid.