YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) Stock Jumps 3.9% – Still a Buy?

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) shares traded up 3.9% on Monday. The company traded as high as $52.00 and last traded at $52.0010. Approximately 161,866 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 91% from the average daily volume of 1,760,138 shares. The stock had previously closed at $50.04.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. HSBC upgraded shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, August 17th. UBS Group raised their target price on YPF Sociedad Anónima from $48.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on YPF Sociedad Anónima from $61.50 to $66.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. Zacks Research cut YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $60.33.

YPF Sociedad Anónima Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $20.36 billion, a PE ratio of 15.89 and a beta of 1.22. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $51.79 and its 200 day moving average is $49.06. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $3.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.26 by $0.81. The company had revenue of $6.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.99 billion. YPF Sociedad Anónima had a net margin of 3.60% and a return on equity of 10.86%. As a group, research analysts predict that YPF Sociedad Anónima will post 8.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Oaktree Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima in the first quarter valued at approximately $40,972,000. Oaktree Fund Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima during the first quarter worth approximately $5,019,000. RWC Asset Advisors US LLC purchased a new stake in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima during the second quarter worth approximately $12,216,000. BlueCrest Capital Management Ltd increased its position in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima by 52.9% during the second quarter. BlueCrest Capital Management Ltd now owns 66,504 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $3,024,000 after purchasing an additional 23,004 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Candriam S.C.A. raised its stake in 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 10.08% of the company’s stock.

YPF Sociedad Anónima Company Profile

YPF Sociedad Anónima is an integrated energy company based in Argentina. Its activities span the exploration, development and production of crude oil and natural gas, with a significant focus on unconventional resources in the Vaca Muerta formation in the Neuquén Basin.

The company also operates downstream businesses, including petroleum refining, the production and marketing of fuels, lubricants and petrochemical products, and a nationwide network of service stations. YPF supplies energy products to industrial, commercial and consumer customers in Argentina and participates in the development of natural gas and other energy infrastructure.

Founded in 1922, YPF was privatized during the 1990s and returned to majority state ownership in 2012.