Stock Traders Buy Large Volume of Call Options on YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF)

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Investors acquired 10,787 call options on the company. This is an increase of 117% compared to the typical volume of 4,969 call options.

YPF Sociedad Anónima Trading Up 3.3%

Shares of NYSE:YPF opened at $42.57 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $37.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $34.08. YPF Sociedad Anónima has a one year low of $22.82 and a one year high of $43.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.74 billion, a PE ratio of -20.17 and a beta of 1.44.

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $4.56 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.14 million. YPF Sociedad Anónima had a negative net margin of 4.48% and a negative return on equity of 0.26%. On average, equities analysts forecast that YPF Sociedad Anónima will post 7.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at YPF Sociedad Anónima

In other YPF Sociedad Anónima news, VP Marcelo Gustavo Aldeco sold 12,719 shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.61, for a total value of $554,675.59. Following the sale, the vice president owned 101 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,404.61. This trade represents a 99.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On YPF Sociedad Anónima

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 8,523 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $308,000 after buying an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $94,000 after buying an additional 314 shares during the period. RWC Asset Management LLP grew its stake in YPF Sociedad Anónima by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. RWC Asset Management LLP now owns 117,075 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $2,844,000 after buying an additional 519 shares during the last quarter. Marex Group plc raised its holdings in YPF Sociedad Anónima by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Marex Group plc now owns 9,702 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $351,000 after acquiring an additional 522 shares during the period. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in YPF Sociedad Anónima by 20.8% in the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 5,760 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $208,000 after acquiring an additional 990 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 10.08% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Research upgraded YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Weiss Ratings cut YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “hold (c)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $41.67.

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.