JPMorgan Chase & Co. Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) Stock

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) had its price target upped by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $61.50 to $66.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the oil and gas exploration company’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective indicates a potential upside of 26.23% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research firms have also commented on YPF. HSBC upgraded YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Zacks Research lowered YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. UBS Group increased their target price on YPF Sociedad Anónima from $48.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Wall Street Zen upgraded YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $60.33.

YPF Sociedad Anónima Price Performance

Shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima stock traded up $0.71 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $52.29. 520,265 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,843,493. YPF Sociedad Anónima has a fifty-two week low of $22.82 and a fifty-two week high of $57.49. The company has a market cap of $20.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.52 and a beta of 1.28. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $49.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $45.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $3.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.26 by $0.81. YPF Sociedad Anónima had a net margin of 3.60% and a return on equity of 10.86%. The firm had revenue of $6.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.99 billion. On average, sell-side analysts predict that YPF Sociedad Anónima will post 7.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Matias Osvaldo Farina bought 8,875 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was bought at an average price of $45.22 per share, for a total transaction of $401,327.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 55,687 shares in the company, valued at $2,518,166.14. The trade was a 18.96% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Horacio Daniel Marin purchased 2,840 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $46.35 per share, for a total transaction of $131,634.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly 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.

Institutional Trading of YPF Sociedad Anónima

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Globeflex Capital L P bought a new position in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima in the 2nd quarter valued at about $10,074,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new position in YPF Sociedad Anónima in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Steadtrust LLC boosted its stake in YPF Sociedad Anónima by 10.0% in the second quarter. Steadtrust LLC now owns 22,000 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $1,000,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in YPF Sociedad Anónima by 87.1% in the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 111,288 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $5,060,000 after acquiring an additional 51,802 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in YPF Sociedad Anónima by 13.0% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,934 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $88,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares during the period. 10.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

YPF Sociedad Anónima Company Profile

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.