YPF Sells Assets to Fund Its US$1 Billion Vaca Muerta Bet
Argentina’s Shale Pivot
Key Facts
—Profertil exit. YPF sold its 50% stake in the fertiliser maker for US$635 million to Adecoagro.
—Patagonia fields sold. The Manantiales Behr conventional assets went to PECOM for US$410 million.
—Financial turnaround. After a US$649 million loss in Q4 2025, YPF posted a US$409 million profit in Q1 2026.
—Rig expansion. CEO Horacio Marin plans to grow YPF’s own drilling fleet from 12 to 18 rigs this year.
—Shale target. The company is aiming for roughly 250,000 barrels per day from Vaca Muerta.
Argentina’s state-controlled oil giant YPF is selling off its ageing conventional fields and a prized fertiliser stake, a move designed to raise roughly US$1 billion and channel every available dollar into the vast Vaca Muerta shale formation.
A Clear Break from the Past
The company is drawing a hard line between its future and its past. It is exiting mature, slow-decline assets that defined Argentine oil for decades.
The proceeds are not for general corporate purposes. They are earmarked entirely for the high-intensity drilling campaigns in Vaca Muerta, the shale play that has redrawn South America’s energy map.
The Profertil Deal and a Full Exit for Nutrien
In one of the largest transactions, YPF agreed to sell its 50 percent stake in fertiliser maker Profertil for US$635 million. The buyer was Adecoagro, acting through Agro Inversora Argentina.
The deal closed around mid-December 2025 and reshaped the ownership structure completely. Adecoagro bought both halves, acquiring not only YPF’s 50 percent but also the 50 percent held by Canada’s Nutrien, meaning Nutrien has fully exited Argentina’s fertiliser business and Adecoagro now controls roughly 90 percent of Profertil.
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Patagonia Fields Find a New Home with PECOM
The second major piece of the YPF asset sales puzzle was the Manantiales Behr conventional fields in the San Jorge Gulf basin. These mature Patagonian assets were sold for US$410 million to PECOM, the energy company controlled by Argentina’s Perez Companc family.
This sale replaced an earlier, larger agreement worth US$575 million with a consortium of Limay Energia and Rovella Capital. That deal collapsed and was declared null on 13 February 2026 after the buyers missed a critical funding contribution, forcing YPF to pivot quickly to PECOM.
Why the YPF Asset Sales Are a Bet on Shale
Chief Executive Officer Horacio Marin is executing a strategy that is simple to understand but ambitious in scale. He wants YPF to be a leaner, more focused company that concentrates its capital and engineering talent on the dead cow, the English translation of Vaca Muerta.
The company plans to expand its own fleet of drilling rigs from 12 to 18 during 2026. The ultimate production goal is to reach about 215,000 barrels per day of shale oil in 2026, with a December exit rate of around 250,000 barrels per day, a figure that would transform Argentina’s trade balance and YPF’s balance sheet.
A Financial Picture That Supports the Pivot
The asset sales come against a backdrop of volatile but improving financial results. YPF reported a net loss of US$649 million in the fourth quarter of 2025, a figure that more than doubled the US$284 million loss from a year earlier and underscored the drag from its legacy operations.
However, the company swung back sharply in the first quarter of 2026, posting a net profit of about US$409 million on revenue of roughly US$4.95 billion. Investors are now watching for the second-quarter results, which are scheduled to be released on 7 August 2026, for confirmation that the turnaround is sustainable.
What It Means for Investors and Argentina
For international investors and expats watching Latin America’s energy sector, the YPF asset sales signal a disciplined, returns-focused approach that is relatively new for an Argentine state enterprise. The company is effectively swapping low-growth, high-maintenance conventional barrels for high-growth shale production with better margins.
The wider read-through for Argentina is significant. A successful Vaca Muerta ramp-up could ease the country’s chronic foreign-currency shortages by reducing energy imports and boosting exports, a dynamic that would ripple through the broader economy and the investment climate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is YPF selling assets now?
YPF is selling mature conventional oil-and-gas fields and its stake in Profertil to raise roughly US$1 billion. The company wants to redirect all available capital into the Vaca Muerta shale formation, where it sees higher growth and better returns.
The strategy is part of CEO Horacio Marin’s plan to make YPF a leaner, shale-focused operator.
Who bought the assets YPF sold?
Adecoagro bought YPF’s 50 percent stake in fertiliser maker Profertil for US$635 million, and also acquired Nutrien’s 50 percent, giving it roughly 90 percent control. PECOM, the energy arm of the Perez Companc group, bought the Manantiales Behr conventional fields in Patagonia for US$410 million after an earlier deal with Limay Energia and Rovella Capital collapsed.
Is YPF profitable right now?
YPF posted a net loss of US$649 million in the fourth quarter of 2025, but the financial picture improved quickly. The company reported a net profit of about US$409 million in the first quarter of 2026, with revenue of roughly US$4.95 billion.
Its next quarterly results are due on 7 August 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error
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