Pampa Energia (NYSE:PAM) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Pampa Energia's stock rating was upgraded from "strong sell" to "hold" by Zacks Research, indicating a more favorable outlook for the company.
• Citigroup has raised its price target for Pampa Energia from $88.00 to $92.00, while Wall Street Zen upgraded the stock to a "buy" rating, reflecting increased analyst confidence.
• The company recently reported an earnings miss, with EPS of $0.70 against a consensus estimate of $2.35, raising concerns despite the stock's recent upgrades.

Pampa Energia (NYSE:PAM - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday, August 18th,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Pampa Energia from $88.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Pampa Energia from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $85.83.

Pampa Energia Trading Down 4.6%

PAM traded down $3.2550 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $67.2350. The stock had a trading volume of 532,921 shares, compared to its average volume of 232,387. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $72.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $75.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 2.70 and a quick ratio of 2.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.55 and a beta of 1.15. Pampa Energia has a 1-year low of $50.44 and a 1-year high of $97.55.

Pampa Energia (NYSE:PAM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.35 by ($1.65). The firm had revenue of $486.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $632.05 million. Pampa Energia had a return on equity of 13.01% and a net margin of 23.73%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Pampa Energia will post 9.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pampa Energia

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in PAM. LPL Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Pampa Energia by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 3,879 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $341,000 after acquiring an additional 293 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new stake in Pampa Energia in the 4th quarter valued at $1,672,000. First Trust Advisors LP acquired a new stake in Pampa Energia in the 4th quarter valued at $347,000. Hood River Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Pampa Energia in the 4th quarter valued at $592,000. Finally, Two Sigma Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Pampa Energia in the 4th quarter valued at $243,000. 12.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Pampa Energia Company Profile

Pampa Energía SA operates as an integrated power company in Argentina. The company operates through Electricity Generation, Oil and Gas, Petrochemicals, and Holding and Other Business segments. It generates electricity through thermal plants, hydroelectric plants, and wind farms with a 5,332 megawatt (MW) installed capacity.