YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) Given New $55.00 Price Target at UBS Group

Key Points

• UBS Group raised YPF’s price target to $55 from $48 while maintaining a “neutral” rating, implying 9.64% upside from the previous close.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: YPF has a consensus “Hold” rating from six analysts, with an average price target of $53; targets range from recent “Sell” and “Buy” calls to UBS’s neutral view.
• YPF exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $3.07 in earnings per share versus the $2.26 consensus and $6.57 billion in revenue versus $5.99 billion expected.

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF - Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by stock analysts at UBS Group from $48.00 to $55.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "neutral" rating on the oil and gas exploration company's stock. UBS Group's price objective suggests a potential upside of 9.64% from the company's previous close.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. HSBC raised YPF Sociedad Anónima from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $60.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, August 17th. Weiss Ratings cut YPF Sociedad Anónima from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Wall Street Zen upgraded YPF Sociedad Anónima from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 18th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded YPF Sociedad Anónima from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Three 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $53.00.

YPF Sociedad Anónima Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:YPF traded down $0.10 on Thursday, reaching $50.16. 56,283 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,859,053. YPF Sociedad Anónima has a twelve month low of $22.82 and a twelve month high of $57.49. The company has a fifty day moving average of $49.19 and a 200-day moving average of $45.60. The company has a market capitalization of $19.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.30 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $3.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.26 by $0.81. The company had revenue of $6.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.99 billion. YPF Sociedad Anónima had a net margin of 3.60% and a return on equity of 10.86%. On average, research analysts predict that YPF Sociedad Anónima will post 7.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at YPF Sociedad Anónima

In other news, CEO Horacio Daniel Marin acquired 2,840 shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $46.35 per share, for a total transaction of $131,634.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 92,193 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,273,145.55. The trade was a 3.18% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Matias Osvaldo Farina bought 8,875 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $45.22 per share, with a total value of $401,327.50. Following the acquisition, the vice president owned 55,687 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,518,166.14. This represents a 18.96% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have purchased a total of 11,792 shares of company stock worth $537,153 over the last ninety days.

Institutional Trading of YPF Sociedad Anónima

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new stake in YPF Sociedad Anónima during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. increased its position in YPF Sociedad Anónima by 488.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 1,353 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 1,123 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima by 13.0% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,934 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $88,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima by 246.9% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 7,663 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $186,000 after acquiring an additional 5,454 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima by 20.8% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 5,760 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock worth $208,000 after purchasing an additional 990 shares during the period. 10.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

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