YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) Price Target Raised to $45.00

Key Points

• UBS raised its price target on YPF from $37 to $45 while keeping a "neutral" rating, implying roughly a 0.32% upside from the current share price.
• Analyst views are mixed but tilt positive overall — MarketBeat's consensus is a Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $45.67, driven by upgrades from Morgan Stanley and Zacks alongside a downgrade from Weiss.
• YPF traded at $44.86 (market cap $17.64B) and reported quarterly EPS of ($1.67), missing estimates by $2.44 and showing a negative net margin, indicating underlying financial weakness despite recent share strength.

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF - Get Free Report) had its target price raised by stock analysts at UBS Group from $37.00 to $45.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "neutral" rating on the oil and gas exploration company's stock. UBS Group's price objective indicates a potential upside of 0.32% from the stock's current price.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on YPF. Weiss Ratings cut YPF Sociedad Anónima from a "hold (c)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded YPF Sociedad Anónima from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Morgan Stanley upgraded YPF Sociedad Anónima from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded YPF Sociedad Anónima from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, YPF Sociedad Anónima currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $45.67.

YPF Sociedad Anónima Price Performance

NYSE YPF traded up $1.47 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $44.86. 2,653,212 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,120,508. The company has a market capitalization of $17.64 billion, a P/E ratio of -21.26 and a beta of 1.30. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $40.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $37.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. YPF Sociedad Anónima has a 12-month low of $22.82 and a 12-month high of $48.96.

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The oil and gas exploration company reported ($1.67) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.77 by ($2.44). The firm had revenue of $4.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.14 million. YPF Sociedad Anónima had a negative net margin of 4.48% and a negative return on equity of 0.26%. As a group, analysts predict that YPF Sociedad Anónima will post 6.31 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Mauricio Alejandro Martin sold 3,430 shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.60, for a total value of $149,548.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 14 shares in the company, valued at approximately $610.40. The trade was a 99.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Marcelo Gustavo Aldeco sold 12,719 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.61, for a total value of $554,675.59. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 101 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,404.61. The trade was a 99.21% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On YPF Sociedad Anónima

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sunbelt Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in YPF Sociedad Anónima by 488.3% during the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 1,353 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 1,123 shares during the period. Global Trust Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in YPF Sociedad Anónima during the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new position in YPF Sociedad Anónima during the 4th quarter valued at $59,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in YPF Sociedad Anónima by 58.8% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,034 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $74,000 after acquiring an additional 1,123 shares during the period. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in YPF Sociedad Anónima by 13.7% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 2,598 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $94,000 after acquiring an additional 314 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 10.08% of the company's stock.

About YPF Sociedad Anónima

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.