Candriam S.C.A. Acquires 297,000 Shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima $YPF

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. increased its YPF stake by 202% in the first quarter, adding 297,000 shares to bring its total holding to 444,000 shares worth about $20.5 million.
• Insider buying picked up in July, with VP Matias Osvaldo Farina and CEO Horacio Daniel Marin both purchasing shares; insiders bought 11,792 shares over the last 90 days worth about $537,153.
• Analyst sentiment on YPF Sociedad Anónima remains mixed but cautious, with an average Hold rating and a consensus target price of $46.00, while the stock recently traded at $47.56 after a 1.1% gain.

Candriam S.C.A. grew its stake in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF - Free Report) by 202.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 444,000 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock after purchasing an additional 297,000 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A. owned approximately 0.11% of YPF Sociedad Anónima worth $20,522,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Global Trust Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima by 488.3% in the third quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 1,353 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,123 shares during the period. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new position in YPF Sociedad Anónima in the fourth quarter worth approximately $59,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its stake 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 worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DGS Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in YPF Sociedad Anónima during the 1st quarter worth $237,000. 10.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Matias Osvaldo Farina bought 8,875 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $45.22 per share, for a total transaction of $401,327.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the vice president directly owned 55,687 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,518,166.14. The trade was a 18.96% 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 link. Also, CEO Horacio Daniel Marin purchased 2,840 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $46.35 per share, for a total transaction of $131,634.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, 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. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders bought 11,792 shares of company stock worth $537,153.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on YPF. Wall Street Zen lowered YPF Sociedad Anónima from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, July 5th. Morgan Stanley raised YPF Sociedad Anónima from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Weiss Ratings upgraded YPF Sociedad Anónima from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on YPF Sociedad Anónima from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Two 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 currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $46.00.

YPF Sociedad Anónima Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE YPF traded up $0.52 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $47.56. 587,895 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,577,685. YPF Sociedad Anónima has a 1 year low of $22.82 and a 1 year high of $57.49. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $48.56 and a 200 day moving average of $42.23. The stock has a market cap of $18.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -45.73 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $5.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.04 billion. YPF Sociedad Anónima had a positive return on equity of 1.11% and a negative net margin of 2.16%. On average, research analysts expect that YPF Sociedad Anónima will post 6.63 earnings per share for the current year.

YPF Sociedad Anónima 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.

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