Pampa Energia (NYSE:PAM) Rating Increased to Hold at Zacks Research

Pampa Energia (NYSE:PAM) was upgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on PAM. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Pampa Energia in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Pampa Energia from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. Finally, HSBC raised shares of Pampa Energia from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $88.00 to $97.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $105.00.

Pampa Energia Stock Performance

Shares of Pampa Energia stock opened at $87.26 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 3.11 and a quick ratio of 2.75. The firm has a market cap of $4.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.59, a P/E/G ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 1.06. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $83.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $80.20. Pampa Energia has a fifty-two week low of $54.95 and a fifty-two week high of $94.50.

Pampa Energia (NYSE:PAM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Sunday, February 15th. The utilities provider reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $507.00 million for the quarter. Pampa Energia had a return on equity of 10.75% and a net margin of 18.87%. Sell-side analysts predict that Pampa Energia will post 9.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Damian Miguel Mindlin sold 429,000 shares of Pampa Energia stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.45, for a total transaction of $1,480,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 14,768,847 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $50,952,522.15. The trade was a 2.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 729,477 shares of company stock valued at $2,504,791. 55.52% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pampa Energia

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Banco BTG Pactual S.A. increased its stake in shares of Pampa Energia by 467.2% in the 2nd quarter. Banco BTG Pactual S.A. now owns 93,583 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,493,000 after acquiring an additional 77,083 shares during the last quarter. Helikon Investments Ltd boosted its stake in Pampa Energia by 41.9% during the 3rd quarter. Helikon Investments Ltd now owns 698,775 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $41,968,000 after acquiring an additional 206,197 shares during the last quarter. Moneda S.A. Administradora General de Fondos acquired a new position in Pampa Energia during the third quarter valued at approximately $2,998,000. Ping Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Pampa Energia by 217.6% during the third quarter. Ping Capital Management Inc. now owns 242,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $14,535,000 after purchasing an additional 165,800 shares during the period. Finally, Brevan Howard Capital Management LP increased its stake in Pampa Energia by 161.7% in the third quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 101,553 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,099,000 after purchasing an additional 62,750 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 12.77% of the company’s stock.

Pampa Energia Company Profile

Pampa Energía SA is Argentina’s largest independent energy company, with integrated operations spanning electricity generation, transmission, distribution and oil and gas activities. The company holds a diversified portfolio of thermal and hydroelectric power plants, along with growing investments in renewable energy projects, serving both domestic and regional markets.

In its electricity business, Pampa Energía develops and operates plants that supply energy to Argentina’s power grid.