YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Should You Buy?

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) shares saw an uptick in trading volume on Friday . 4,461,188 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 146% from the previous session’s volume of 1,814,652 shares.The stock last traded at $41.7760 and had previously closed at $41.59.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on YPF. Weiss Ratings lowered YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “hold (c)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Two equities research 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, YPF Sociedad Anónima has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $41.67.

YPF Sociedad Anónima Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $16.48 billion, a PE ratio of -19.85 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.68. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $37.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $33.79.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On YPF Sociedad Anónima

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Sunbelt Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima by 488.3% in 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 during the period. Global Trust Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in YPF Sociedad Anónima during the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new position in shares of YPF Sociedad Anónima in the 4th quarter worth about $59,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in 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 worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 1,123 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its holdings in YPF Sociedad Anónima by 13.7% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 2,598 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $94,000 after buying an additional 314 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 10.08% of the company’s stock.

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.