YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) Upgraded at Morgan Stanley

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) was upgraded by equities researchers at Morgan Stanley from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report issued on Monday, Marketbeat reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on YPF. Wall Street Zen raised YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Zacks Research raised YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “hold (c)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $41.67.

YPF Sociedad Anónima Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE YPF traded up $1.90 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $47.07. The stock had a trading volume of 2,562,104 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,005,160. The firm has a market cap of $18.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -22.31 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. YPF Sociedad Anónima has a fifty-two week low of $22.82 and a fifty-two week high of $47.84. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $38.19 and a 200-day moving average of $34.44.

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The oil and gas exploration company reported ($1.67) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.77 by ($2.44). The firm had revenue of $4.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.14 million. YPF Sociedad Anónima had a negative return on equity of 0.26% and a negative net margin of 4.48%. Equities research analysts predict that YPF Sociedad Anónima will post 7.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other YPF Sociedad Anónima news, VP Mauricio Alejandro Martin sold 3,430 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the vice president owned 14 shares in the company, valued at $610.40. The trade was a 99.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Marcelo Gustavo Aldeco sold 12,719 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The shares were 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 represents a 99.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On YPF Sociedad Anónima

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in YPF. Sunbelt Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima by 488.3% during the 3rd 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. Global Trust Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in YPF Sociedad Anónima in the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new position in YPF Sociedad Anónima during the 4th quarter valued at $59,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima by 58.8% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,034 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 1,123 shares during the period. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima by 13.7% in 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 in the last quarter. 10.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.