YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) Hits New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $57.87 and last traded at $57.1230, with a volume of 231411 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $56.33.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group upped their target price on YPF Sociedad Anónima from $48.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, July 18th. Zacks Research cut YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. HSBC upgraded YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima from $61.50 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, YPF Sociedad Anónima presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $60.33.

YPF Sociedad Anónima Stock Up 2.4%

The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $50.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $47.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.39 and a beta of 1.25. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $3.07 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.26 by $0.81. The business had revenue of $6.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.99 billion. YPF Sociedad Anónima had a net margin of 3.60% and a return on equity of 10.86%. Research analysts expect that YPF Sociedad Anónima will post 7.74 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Horacio Daniel Marin bought 2,840 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $46.35 per share, with a total value of $131,634.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 92,193 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,273,145.55. The trade was a 3.18% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Matias Osvaldo Farina purchased 8,875 shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $45.22 per share, with a total value of $401,327.50. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 55,687 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,518,166.14. This represents a 18.96% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On YPF Sociedad Anónima

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in YPF. IPG Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in YPF Sociedad Anónima by 165.8% during the second quarter. IPG Investment Advisors LLC now owns 14,317 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $651,000 after acquiring an additional 8,930 shares during the last quarter. Arlington Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $4,093,000. BlueCrest Capital Management Ltd grew its position in 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 valued at $3,024,000 after buying an additional 23,004 shares during the period. Engineers Gate Manager LP increased its holdings in YPF Sociedad Anónima by 220.7% during the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 87,565 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $3,982,000 after buying an additional 60,264 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RWC Asset Advisors US LLC purchased a new position in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima during the 2nd quarter worth $12,216,000. Institutional investors own 10.08% of the company’s stock.

About YPF Sociedad Anónima

YPF Sociedad Anónima is an Argentine integrated energy company engaged in the exploration, development and production of crude oil and natural gas. The company operates across Argentina, including the Vaca Muerta formation in the Neuquén Basin, one of the country’s most important unconventional hydrocarbon regions.

YPF’s downstream operations include refining crude oil, marketing fuels and lubricants, producing petrochemicals, and distributing petroleum products through a network of service stations and commercial channels.