Pampa Energia (NYSE:PAM) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Pampa Energia (NYSE:PAM) was upgraded by research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Pampa Energia from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Pampa Energia in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, HSBC raised shares of Pampa Energia from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $88.00 to $97.00 in a report on Thursday, March 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Pampa Energia has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $105.00.

Pampa Energia Stock Up 0.1%

PAM opened at $82.90 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $83.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $83.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 3.11 and a quick ratio of 2.75. Pampa Energia has a one year low of $54.95 and a one year high of $94.50.

Pampa Energia (NYSE:PAM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Sunday, February 15th. The utilities provider reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter. Pampa Energia had a net margin of 18.87% and a return on equity of 10.75%. The firm had revenue of $507.00 million during the quarter. Equities research analysts expect that Pampa Energia will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pampa Energia

In other Pampa Energia news, VP Damian Miguel Mindlin sold 57,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.47, for a total value of $199,525.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 13,910,870 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,270,718.90. The trade was a 0.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Marcos Marcelo Mindlin sold 1,500,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.51, for a total transaction of $5,265,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 24,971,973 shares in the company, valued at $87,651,625.23. The trade was a 5.67% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 5,711,977 shares of company stock valued at $19,971,316 over the last three months. 55.52% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pampa Energia

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Pampa Energia in the second quarter valued at about $37,000. NFJ Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Pampa Energia in the fourth quarter valued at about $104,000. Van ECK Associates Corp purchased a new position in shares of Pampa Energia in the third quarter valued at about $139,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Pampa Energia in the third quarter valued at about $187,000. Finally, Arete Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Pampa Energia in the fourth quarter valued at about $212,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 12.77% of the company’s stock.

About Pampa Energia

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.