APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) Shares Sold by Guggenheim Capital LLC

Guggenheim Capital LLC lowered its stake in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA - Free Report) by 45.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 54,745 shares of the company's stock after selling 46,007 shares during the period. Guggenheim Capital LLC's holdings in APA were worth $1,264,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in APA. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in APA by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 77,110 shares of the company's stock worth $1,780,000 after acquiring an additional 469 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in APA by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 138,991 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,070,000 after buying an additional 544 shares in the last quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in APA by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 54,938 shares of the company's stock worth $1,269,000 after buying an additional 571 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its stake in APA by 77.9% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 1,338 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 586 shares in the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of APA by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 10,762 shares of the company's stock valued at $248,000 after acquiring an additional 589 shares during the last quarter. 83.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on APA shares. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of APA from $20.00 to $15.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "sell" rating and issued a $23.00 price target on shares of APA in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Scotiabank dropped their target price on APA from $26.00 to $14.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Raymond James lowered APA from a "strong-buy" rating to an "outperform" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $45.00 to $32.00 in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of APA from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $25.79.

APA Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:APA traded up $0.09 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $16.35. The company had a trading volume of 4,636,640 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,851,839. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $18.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $21.54. APA Co. has a one year low of $13.58 and a one year high of $33.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 2.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.24.

APA (NASDAQ:APA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.18). APA had a net margin of 24.36% and a return on equity of 27.86%. The business had revenue of $2.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.31 billion. Equities research analysts expect that APA Co. will post 4.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

APA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.12%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 22nd. APA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.25%.

About APA

APA Corporation, an independent energy company, explores for, develops, and produces natural gas, crude oil, and natural gas liquids. It has oil and gas operations in the United States, Egypt, and North Sea. The company also has exploration and appraisal activities in Suriname, as well as holds interests in projects located in Uruguay and internationally.