Pampa Energia (NYSE:PAM) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded Pampa Energía from "hold" to "strong-buy", joining other upgrades (Wall Street Zen to strong-buy, HSBC to buy); the consensus rating is Buy with a consensus price target of $105.
• Company insiders sold a total of 5,711,977 shares (~$19.97M) over the last quarter — including large sales by director Marcos Marcelo Mindlin and VP Damian Miguel Mindlin — though insiders still own 55.52% of the stock.
• Pampa Energia trades around $82.90 with a market cap of $4.51B, a P/E of 11.96, reported quarterly EPS of $2.50 on $507M revenue, and analysts project ~8.6 EPS for the year.

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

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Pampa Energia from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. HSBC upgraded shares of Pampa Energia from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $88.00 to $97.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Pampa Energia in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Pampa Energia currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $105.00.

Pampa Energia Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of PAM stock opened at $82.90 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $83.14 and a 200-day moving average of $83.43. The company has a quick ratio of 2.75, a current ratio of 3.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. Pampa Energia has a 12-month low of $54.95 and a 12-month high of $94.50. The firm has a market cap of $4.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.96, a PEG ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.06.

Pampa Energia (NYSE:PAM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Sunday, February 15th. The utilities provider reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Pampa Energia had a net margin of 18.87% and a return on equity of 10.75%. The company had revenue of $507.00 million during the quarter. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Pampa Energia will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Marcos Marcelo Mindlin sold 1,675,000 shares of Pampa Energia stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.54, for a total value of $5,929,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 15,221,973 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,885,784.42. The trade was a 9.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Damian Miguel Mindlin sold 500,000 shares of Pampa Energia stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.57, for a total transaction of $1,785,000.00. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 5,711,977 shares of company stock valued at $19,971,316 over the last quarter. 55.52% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in PAM. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Pampa Energia during the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. NFJ Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Pampa Energia during the 4th quarter valued at $104,000. Van ECK Associates Corp purchased a new position in shares of Pampa Energia during the 3rd quarter valued at $139,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Pampa Energia during the 3rd quarter valued at $187,000. Finally, Arete Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Pampa Energia during the 4th quarter valued at $212,000. 12.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Pampa Energia

Pampa Energía SA is Argentina's largest independent energy company, with integrated operations spanning electricity generation, transmission, distribution and oil and gas activities. The company holds a diversified portfolio of thermal and hydroelectric power plants, along with growing investments in renewable energy projects, serving both domestic and regional markets.

In its electricity business, Pampa Energía develops and operates plants that supply energy to Argentina's power grid.

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