APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Hold" by the eighteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $24.72.

Several analysts have commented on APA shares. Mizuho lowered their price target on APA from $20.00 to $19.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of APA from $23.00 to $20.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "sell" rating and set a $23.00 price target on shares of APA in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of APA from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $25.00 price objective (up from $23.00) on shares of APA in a research note on Friday, May 30th.

APA Trading Up 0.2%

APA traded up $0.04 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $19.53. The company's stock had a trading volume of 794,189 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,173,540. APA has a twelve month low of $13.58 and a twelve month high of $33.41. The stock has a market cap of $7.06 billion, a PE ratio of 7.01, a PEG ratio of 5.99 and a beta of 1.25. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $17.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $19.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.89.

APA (NASDAQ:APA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.23. APA had a return on equity of 23.22% and a net margin of 9.75%. The business had revenue of $2.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.78 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 35.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that APA will post 4.03 earnings per share for the current year.

APA Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 22nd will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 22nd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.12%. APA's dividend payout ratio is currently 35.97%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of APA. Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of APA by 23.9% during the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 14,468 shares of the company's stock valued at $333,000 after purchasing an additional 2,790 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in APA during the 4th quarter valued at $1,442,000. US Bancorp DE increased its stake in APA by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 47,719 shares of the company's stock worth $1,102,000 after buying an additional 1,010 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in APA by 263.2% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 11,499 shares of the company's stock worth $266,000 after buying an additional 8,333 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in APA in the 4th quarter worth $137,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.01% of the company's stock.

APA Company Profile

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.