YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) Trading Up 6.3% - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• YPF shares jumped 6.3% on Monday, trading as high as $46.02 after closing at $43.66, despite volume coming in below its recent average.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but broadly positive: Morgan Stanley upgraded the stock to overweight, while the consensus rating remains Moderate Buy with a $45.67 price target.
• The company recently beat quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $1.03 EPS versus the $0.83 estimate, although revenue was roughly in line and insider sales continued in recent months.

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF - Get Free Report)'s share price shot up 6.3% on Monday . The company traded as high as $46.02 and last traded at $46.4120. 981,204 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 52% from the average session volume of 2,048,798 shares. The stock had previously closed at $43.66.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley raised YPF Sociedad Anónima from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 30th. UBS Group lifted their target price on YPF Sociedad Anónima from $37.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings lowered YPF Sociedad Anónima from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Zacks Research upgraded YPF Sociedad Anónima from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, YPF Sociedad Anónima presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $45.67.

YPF Sociedad Anónima Stock Up 8.4%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $42.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $38.49. The stock has a market cap of $18.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -45.47 and a beta of 1.21.

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.20. YPF Sociedad Anónima had a positive return on equity of 1.11% and a negative net margin of 2.16%.The company had revenue of $5.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.04 billion. As a group, analysts expect that YPF Sociedad Anónima will post 6.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On YPF Sociedad Anónima

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in YPF. First Growth Capital LLC increased its holdings in YPF Sociedad Anónima by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. First Growth Capital LLC now owns 18,587 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock worth $824,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 8,523 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $308,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima by 13.7% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 2,598 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. Marex Group plc boosted its position in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Marex Group plc now owns 9,702 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $351,000 after buying an additional 522 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in YPF Sociedad Anónima by 20.8% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 5,760 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock worth $208,000 after buying an additional 990 shares in the last quarter. 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.

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