APA (NASDAQ:APA) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.27 EPS

Key Points

• APA reported Q1 EPS of $1.38 vs. $1.11 consensus (beat by $0.27) with a net margin of 15.55% and ROE of 19.89%, but shares fell 7.7% to $38.30 on heavy volume.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share (annualized $1.00, yield 2.6%, DPR 25.06%), and trades at a P/E of 9.6 with a market cap of about $13.54 billion.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed—consensus rating is "Hold" with an average price target of $39.50 after several target revisions—while insiders sold shares and institutional ownership is roughly 83%.

APA (NASDAQ:APA - Get Free Report) posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $1.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.27, Zacks reports. APA had a net margin of 15.55% and a return on equity of 19.89%.

APA Stock Down 7.7%

NASDAQ APA traded down $3.18 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $38.30. 9,934,510 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,975,239. 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 firm has a market cap of $13.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.60 and a beta of 0.38. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $37.01 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $29.29. APA has a 12-month low of $15.20 and a 12-month high of $45.66.

APA Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of APA from $22.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of APA from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Capital One Financial cut their target price on shares of APA from $51.00 to $50.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 17th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of APA from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Mizuho raised their target price on shares of APA from $24.00 to $29.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $39.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at APA

In other news, Director Matthew Regis Bob sold 23,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.23, for a total value of $833,290.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 6,634 shares in the company, valued at approximately $240,349.82. This trade represents a 77.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.73% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of APA

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. MinichMacGregor Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of APA in the 4th quarter valued at about $264,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of APA by 27.9% in the 4th quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 10,742 shares of the company's stock valued at $263,000 after buying an additional 2,346 shares in the last quarter. Numerai GP LLC boosted its holdings in shares of APA by 15.2% in the 4th quarter. Numerai GP LLC now owns 10,499 shares of the company's stock valued at $257,000 after buying an additional 1,386 shares in the last quarter. Mangrove Partners IM LLC bought a new stake in shares of APA in the 4th quarter valued at about $239,000. Finally, Voleon Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of APA in the 3rd quarter valued at about $234,000. 83.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

APA News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings beat — APA reported $1.38 EPS vs. $1.11 consensus, with a healthy net margin and ROE; management posted the slide deck and investor materials. This underpins cash-flow strength and validates operational execution. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Company release — APA published its official Q1 2026 financial and operational results (detailed metrics and commentary available), supporting the earnings beat narrative. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Sector tailwinds — coverage highlighting rising oil prices and a strong cash-flow outlook helped push APA into recent sector gains and contributed to its strong YTD performance, supporting upside potential if commodity strength continues. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Value recognition — APA made Zacks’ value/strong-buy lists (Zacks Rank #1), which can attract longer-term value-oriented investors. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: BofA raised its price target to $30 but kept an Underperform rating — PT move is modestly supportive, but the maintained negative bias from the analyst limits its bullish impact. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Pre-earnings analyst notes and metrics previews (Zacks) provided context on expectations (lower revenue flagged but cost/reduction and output stability emphasized); these framed investor expectations heading into the print. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Non-operational update — APA updated guidance on citing generative AI tools (corporate policy change); unlikely to materially affect near-term financials. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst/market positioning may cap near-term upside — despite the EPS beat, some analysts had warned of lower revenue and the firm’s sizable YTD gain (noted in coverage) increases the risk of profit-taking and short-term pullbacks. Read More.

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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