YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) Stock Now Rated "Moderate Buy" by Sell-Side Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts rate YPF a “Moderate Buy”: Of six covering firms, three recommend buying and three advise holding. The average 12-month price target is $60.33, above the recent $51.33 share price.
• YPF recently beat quarterly expectations: The company reported $3.07 in earnings per share versus the $2.26 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $6.57 billion compared with expectations of $5.99 billion.
• Insiders and institutions have increased exposure: YPF’s CEO and a vice president purchased shares, while several investment firms initiated or expanded positions; institutional investors now own 10.08% of the company.

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the six research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $60.33.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on YPF shares. Wall Street Zen raised YPF Sociedad Anónima from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima from $61.50 to $66.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Zacks Research cut shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, HSBC raised shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $60.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 17th.

YPF Sociedad Anónima Trading Down 1.5%

YPF opened at $51.33 on Tuesday. YPF Sociedad Anónima has a 12 month low of $23.02 and a 12 month high of $57.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.01 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $51.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $48.26.

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $3.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.26 by $0.81. The company had revenue of $6.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.99 billion. YPF Sociedad Anónima had a return on equity of 10.86% and a net margin of 3.60%. Sell-side analysts expect that YPF Sociedad Anónima will post 7.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at YPF Sociedad Anónima

In other YPF Sociedad Anónima news, CEO Horacio Daniel Marin bought 2,840 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $46.35 per share, for a total transaction of $131,634.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 92,193 shares in the company, valued at $4,273,145.55. This trade represents a 3.18% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Matias Osvaldo Farina purchased 8,875 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $45.22 per share, with a total value of $401,327.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the vice president directly owned 55,687 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,518,166.14. This represents a 18.96% 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 stock. Oaktree Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima in the 1st quarter valued at about $40,972,000. Equinox Partners Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in YPF Sociedad Anónima during the first quarter worth approximately $21,585,000. Candriam S.C.A. lifted its stake 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 valued at $20,522,000 after buying an additional 297,000 shares during the last quarter. RWC Asset Advisors US LLC purchased a new stake in YPF Sociedad Anónima in the second quarter valued at approximately $12,216,000. Finally, Globeflex Capital L P purchased a new stake in YPF Sociedad Anónima in the second quarter valued at approximately $10,074,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 10.08% of the company's stock.

YPF Sociedad Anónima Company Profile

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.

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