YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the five analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $46.00.

Several analysts have recently issued reports 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 Thursday, May 28th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 30th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 18th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th.

YPF Sociedad Anónima Price Performance

YPF opened at $52.54 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $49.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $43.08. YPF Sociedad Anónima has a 12-month low of $22.82 and a 12-month high of $57.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The firm has a market cap of $20.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -50.52 and a beta of 1.28.

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $5.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.04 billion. YPF Sociedad Anónima had a positive return on equity of 1.11% and a negative net margin of 2.16%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that YPF Sociedad Anónima will post 7.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Matias Osvaldo Farina bought 8,875 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $45.22 per share, for a total transaction of $401,327.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the vice president owned 55,687 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,518,166.14. This trade represents a 18.96% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Horacio Daniel Marin bought 2,840 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $46.35 per share, with a total value of $131,634.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 92,193 shares in the company, valued at $4,273,145.55. This represents a 3.18% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders purchased 11,792 shares of company stock valued at $537,153.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On YPF Sociedad Anónima

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in YPF. Oaktree Capital Management LP purchased a new position in YPF Sociedad Anónima in the first quarter worth approximately $40,972,000. Equinox Partners Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in YPF Sociedad Anónima during the 1st quarter worth approximately $21,585,000. UBS Group AG increased its position in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima by 125.2% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 651,384 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $15,822,000 after purchasing an additional 362,155 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima by 161.2% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 568,507 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $17,880,000 after purchasing an additional 350,842 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Candriam S.C.A. raised its holdings in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima by 202.0% in the 1st quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 444,000 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $20,522,000 after purchasing an additional 297,000 shares in the last quarter. 10.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.