APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA) Given Average Rating of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• APA was given a consensus recommendation of "Hold" by 31 brokerages (4 sell, 20 hold, 7 buy) with an average 12‑month price target of $39.50.
• Several analysts have recently raised targets — including Wolfe Research and Susquehanna to $47 and Stephens to $45 — but some banks (e.g., Mizuho, BofA) still maintain underperform ratings, signaling mixed views despite upward revisions.
• APA beat quarterly EPS estimates (reported $0.91 vs. $0.62) while revenue was down 26.6% YoY; the company has a market cap of $13.58B, a P/E of 9.63, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.25 (2.6% yield).

Shares of APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Hold" by the thirty-one ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, twenty have assigned a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $39.50.

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Wolfe Research raised their target price on APA from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Mizuho raised their target price on APA from $24.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Bank of America raised their target price on APA from $23.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Stephens raised their target price on APA from $24.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Susquehanna raised their target price on APA from $37.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Matthew Regis Bob sold 23,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.23, for a total transaction of $833,290.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 6,634 shares of the company's stock, valued at $240,349.82. This trade represents a 77.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.73% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On APA

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators increased its holdings in APA by 276.7% during the 3rd quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,213 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 891 shares in the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC increased its holdings in APA by 115.1% during the 4th quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 1,327 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 710 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new stake in APA during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Spire Wealth Management increased its holdings in APA by 179.6% during the 3rd quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,521 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 977 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Camelot Portfolios LLC acquired a new stake in APA during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. 83.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

APA Price Performance

APA stock opened at $38.43 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The company has a market capitalization of $13.58 billion, a PE ratio of 9.63 and a beta of 0.49. APA has a one year low of $15.20 and a one year high of $45.66. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $36.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $28.79.

APA (NASDAQ:APA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.62 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $1.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.89 billion. APA had a return on equity of 19.89% and a net margin of 15.55%.APA's revenue was down 26.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.79 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that APA will post 4.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

APA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 22nd. APA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.06%.

APA Company Profile

APA Corporation NASDAQ: APA is an independent exploration and production company engaged in the acquisition, development and production of oil and natural gas resources. The company operates through three core regions: the United States, Egypt and the North Sea. Through its integrated approach, APA combines geological and geophysical expertise with technical innovation to identify and develop hydrocarbons in both onshore and offshore settings.

In the United States, APA's largest position is in the Permian Basin of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico, where it holds substantial acreage dedicated to oil-focused drilling and production.

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