YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) Shares Up 4% - Here's Why

Key Points

• YPF shares rose 4% to about $56.79 in mid-day trading, outperforming their previous close of $54.61, though trading volume was 41% below the daily average.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive overall, with YPF holding a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $60.33. JPMorgan raised its target to $66, while UBS increased its target to $55 and maintained a neutral rating.
• The company exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $3.07 versus the $2.26 consensus and revenue of $6.57 billion versus $5.99 billion expected. YPF executives also bought shares, and institutional investors own 10.08% of the stock.

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF - Get Free Report)'s share price was up 4% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $56.94 and last traded at $56.7870. Approximately 1,076,986 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 41% from the average daily volume of 1,823,638 shares. The stock had previously closed at $54.61.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 18th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima from $48.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on YPF Sociedad Anónima from $61.50 to $66.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, YPF Sociedad Anónima presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $60.33.

YPF Sociedad Anónima Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $50.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $46.62. The firm has a market cap of $22.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.62 and a beta of 1.25.

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $3.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.26 by $0.81. The business 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%. Equities research analysts predict that YPF Sociedad Anónima will post 7.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Matias Osvaldo Farina bought 8,875 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was acquired 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 owned 55,687 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,518,166.14. This trade represents a 18.96% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Horacio Daniel Marin bought 2,840 shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $46.35 per share, with a total value of $131,634.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 92,193 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,273,145.55. This trade represents a 3.18% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On YPF Sociedad Anónima

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. IPG Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima by 165.8% during the 2nd quarter. IPG Investment Advisors LLC now owns 14,317 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $651,000 after acquiring an additional 8,930 shares in the last quarter. Arlington Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in YPF Sociedad Anónima in the second quarter worth about $4,093,000. BlueCrest Capital Management Ltd raised its position in YPF Sociedad Anónima by 52.9% in the second quarter. BlueCrest Capital Management Ltd now owns 66,504 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock worth $3,024,000 after purchasing an additional 23,004 shares in the last quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP lifted its stake in YPF Sociedad Anónima by 220.7% during the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 87,565 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock worth $3,982,000 after purchasing an additional 60,264 shares during the period. Finally, RWC Asset Advisors US LLC bought a new position in YPF Sociedad Anónima during the second quarter worth about $12,216,000. 10.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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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