YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) Hits New 52-Week High After Analyst Upgrade

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday after Morgan Stanley upgraded the stock from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating. The company traded as high as $47.84 and last traded at $46.1240, with a volume of 4823266 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $45.17.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Weiss Ratings cut YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “hold (c)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Zacks Research raised YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $41.67.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Marcelo Gustavo Aldeco sold 12,719 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.61, for a total transaction of $554,675.59. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 101 shares in the company, valued at $4,404.61. The trade was a 99.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Mauricio Alejandro Martin sold 3,430 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 14 shares in the company, valued at $610.40. The trade was a 99.59% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information.

Institutional Trading of YPF Sociedad Anónima

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Global Trust Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in YPF Sociedad Anónima in the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima by 488.3% during the third quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 1,353 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 1,123 shares in the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new stake in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima in the fourth quarter valued at about $59,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 314 shares during the period. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima by 58.8% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,034 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $74,000 after acquiring an additional 1,123 shares in the last quarter. 10.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

YPF Sociedad Anónima Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $18.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -21.86 and a beta of 1.44. The company’s 50 day moving average is $38.43 and its 200 day moving average is $34.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) last issued 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). YPF Sociedad Anónima had a negative return on equity of 0.26% and a negative net margin of 4.48%.The business had revenue of $4.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.14 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that YPF Sociedad Anónima will post 7.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.