RWC Asset Advisors US LLC Sells 484,815 Shares of YPF Sociedad Anonima (NYSE:YPF)

Key Points

• RWC Asset Advisors US LLC significantly reduced its stake in YPF Sociedad Anonima by 78.4%, selling 484,815 shares and holding 133,298 shares valued at approximately $4.67 million.
• Multiple institutional investors have modified their holdings recently, with Sunbelt Securities Inc. increasing its position by 742.6% and new positions established by Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp. and NorthRock Partners LLC.
• YPF's stock is currently rated as a "Moderate Buy" with a target price increase from various analysts, indicating positive market sentiment despite its 12-month highs and lows ranging from $16.18 to $47.43.

RWC Asset Advisors US LLC lessened its stake in YPF Sociedad Anonima (NYSE:YPF - Free Report) by 78.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 133,298 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock after selling 484,815 shares during the quarter. YPF Sociedad Anonima comprises about 0.9% of RWC Asset Advisors US LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. RWC Asset Advisors US LLC's holdings in YPF Sociedad Anonima were worth $4,671,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sunbelt Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of YPF Sociedad Anonima by 742.6% in the first quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 1,938 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock worth $68,000 after acquiring an additional 1,708 shares in the last quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp acquired a new stake in shares of YPF Sociedad Anonima in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $203,000. Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of YPF Sociedad Anonima by 29.0% in the first quarter. Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC now owns 6,234 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $218,000 after buying an additional 1,401 shares during the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its holdings in YPF Sociedad Anonima by 253.5% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 5,730 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock worth $244,000 after purchasing an additional 4,109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NorthRock Partners LLC bought a new position in YPF Sociedad Anonima during the 4th quarter worth $259,000. Institutional investors own 10.08% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup upgraded YPF Sociedad Anonima from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $44.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Wall Street Zen upgraded YPF Sociedad Anonima from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, June 27th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded YPF Sociedad Anonima to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, HSBC upgraded YPF Sociedad Anonima from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $21.00 to $33.00 in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $43.92.

YPF Sociedad Anonima Price Performance

Shares of YPF traded down $0.46 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $34.35. The company's stock had a trading volume of 565,034 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,008,319. YPF Sociedad Anonima has a one year low of $16.18 and a one year high of $47.43. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $33.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $34.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.47 and a beta of 1.78.

YPF Sociedad Anonima Company Profile

YPF Sociedad Anónima, an energy company, engages in the oil and gas upstream and downstream activities in Argentina. Its upstream operations include the exploration, exploitation, and production of crude oil, and natural gas. The company's downstream operations include petrochemical production and crude oil refining; transportation and distribution refined and petrochemical products; commercialization of crude oil, petrochemical products, and specialties.