Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Acquires 46,195 Shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima $YPF

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. grew its holdings in YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) by 21.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 262,370 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock after acquiring an additional 46,195 shares during the quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.’s holdings in YPF Sociedad Anónima were worth $9,487,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in YPF. Sunbelt Securities Inc. boosted its stake 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 valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,123 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in YPF Sociedad Anónima by 58.8% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,034 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $74,000 after buying an additional 1,123 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in YPF Sociedad Anónima by 246.9% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 7,663 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $186,000 after buying an additional 5,454 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in YPF Sociedad Anónima by 7,696.0% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 7,796 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $245,000 after buying an additional 7,696 shares during the period. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC bought a new position in YPF Sociedad Anónima in the 3rd quarter worth about $272,000. 10.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

YPF Sociedad Anónima Price Performance

NYSE YPF opened at $46.20 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.87. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $38.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $34.70. YPF Sociedad Anónima has a 52-week low of $22.82 and a 52-week high of $48.96. The company has a market cap of $18.17 billion, a PE ratio of -21.89 and a beta of 1.44.

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The oil and gas exploration company reported ($1.67) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by ($2.44). The business had revenue of $4.56 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.14 million. YPF Sociedad Anónima had a negative return on equity of 0.26% and a negative net margin of 4.48%. Sell-side analysts forecast that YPF Sociedad Anónima will post 7.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Buying and Selling at YPF Sociedad Anónima

In related news, VP Marcelo Gustavo Aldeco sold 12,719 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.61, for a total transaction 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Mauricio Alejandro Martin sold 3,430 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.60, for a total transaction of $149,548.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 14 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $610.40. This represents a 99.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information.

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.