YPF Sociedad Anonima (NYSE:YPF) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

YPF Sociedad Anonima (NYSE:YPF) saw a large decline in short interest in January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 6,241,170 shares, a decline of 28.5% from the January 15th total of 8,727,135 shares. Approximately 1.6% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,699,440 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.7 days. Based on an average trading volume of 1,699,440 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.7 days. Approximately 1.6% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Institutional Trading of YPF Sociedad Anonima

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Verition Fund Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of YPF Sociedad Anonima by 120.7% in the fourth quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 147,000 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $5,316,000 after purchasing an additional 80,392 shares during the period. Mariner LLC raised its position in YPF Sociedad Anonima by 114.5% during the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 17,747 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $642,000 after buying an additional 9,472 shares during the last quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of YPF Sociedad Anonima in the 4th quarter worth $388,000. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in shares of YPF Sociedad Anonima by 153.6% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 19,430 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $703,000 after acquiring an additional 11,767 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its stake in shares of YPF Sociedad Anonima by 2,710.6% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 45,644 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $1,650,000 after acquiring an additional 44,020 shares during the period. 10.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on YPF. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of YPF Sociedad Anonima from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Zacks Research downgraded shares of YPF Sociedad Anonima from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of YPF Sociedad Anonima in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, YPF Sociedad Anonima has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $41.67.

YPF Sociedad Anonima Stock Performance

Shares of YPF stock traded up $0.12 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $37.44. The stock had a trading volume of 870,953 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,473,205. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.72 billion, a PE ratio of 43.97 and a beta of 1.43. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $36.25 and its 200 day moving average is $33.06. YPF Sociedad Anonima has a twelve month low of $22.82 and a twelve month high of $40.38.

About YPF Sociedad Anonima

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.