YPF Sociedad Anonima (NYSE:YPF) Shares Up 5.6% - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• YPF Sociedad Anonima's stock rose by 5.6% during mid-day trading, reaching a high of $27.22 before closing at $27.57, despite trading volume being 48% lower than the average.
• Citi upgraded YPF from a "neutral" to a "buy" rating, increasing the target price from $44.00 to $48.00, while the stock holds a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a target price of $46.70.
• The company reported earnings of $0.13 per share, missing estimates, but also achieved revenue of $3.47 million, slightly surpassing expectations of $3.37 million for the quarter.

YPF Sociedad Anonima (NYSE:YPF - Get Free Report)'s share price rose 5.6% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $27.22 and last traded at $27.57. Approximately 1,027,580 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 48% from the average daily volume of 1,993,055 shares. The stock had previously closed at $26.10.

Analyst Ratings Changes

YPF has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Zacks Research downgraded shares of YPF Sociedad Anonima from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 9th. Citigroup raised shares of YPF Sociedad Anonima from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $44.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of YPF Sociedad Anonima from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, June 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $46.70.

YPF Sociedad Anonima Stock Down 4.0%

The company's fifty day simple moving average is $31.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $32.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.65 billion, a PE ratio of 8.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.91.

YPF Sociedad Anonima (NYSE:YPF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.43). YPF Sociedad Anonima had a return on equity of 12.39% and a net margin of 6.32%.The firm had revenue of $3.47 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.37 million. On average, analysts forecast that YPF Sociedad Anonima will post 7.25 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On YPF Sociedad Anonima

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in YPF. First Horizon Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of YPF Sociedad Anonima during the second quarter valued at $57,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of YPF Sociedad Anonima by 1,157.2% during the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,911 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 1,759 shares during the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of YPF Sociedad Anonima by 742.6% during the first quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 1,938 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $68,000 after buying an additional 1,708 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of YPF Sociedad Anonima during the first quarter valued at $89,000. Finally, Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of YPF Sociedad Anonima by 29.0% during the first quarter. Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC now owns 6,234 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $218,000 after buying an additional 1,401 shares during the last quarter. 10.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

YPF Sociedad Anonima Company Profile

YPF Sociedad Anónima, an energy company, engages in the oil and gas upstream and downstream activities in Argentina. Its upstream operations include the exploration, exploitation, and production of crude oil, and natural gas. The company's downstream operations include petrochemical production and crude oil refining; transportation and distribution refined and petrochemical products; commercialization of crude oil, petrochemical products, and specialties.