APA (NASDAQ:APA) Rating Increased to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded APA to a "buy" from "hold", though the broker consensus remains an average Hold (7 Buy / 20 Hold / 4 Sell) with an average price target of $39.50.
• APA reported $0.91 EPS versus a $0.62 consensus and revenue of $1.99 billion (down 26.6% YoY), and the stock opened at $37.73 with a market cap of $13.33 billion and a P/E of 9.46.
• Insider activity: a director sold 23,000 shares at about $36.23 (reducing their position by 77.6%); insiders own 0.69% of the stock while institutional investors hold 83.01%.

APA (NASDAQ:APA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report issued on Saturday.

APA has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Piper Sandler raised their target price on APA from $30.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on APA from $22.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, March 27th. Mizuho raised their target price on APA from $24.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Capital One Financial reduced their target price on APA from $51.00 to $50.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on APA from $25.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $39.50.

APA Stock Down 2.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:APA opened at $37.73 on Friday. APA has a one year low of $15.20 and a one year high of $45.66. The company has a 50 day moving average of $35.86 and a 200-day moving average of $28.64. 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 stock has a market cap of $13.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.46 and a beta of 0.49.

APA (NASDAQ:APA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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. APA had a net margin of 15.55% and a return on equity of 19.89%. The company had revenue of $1.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.89 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.79 EPS. APA's revenue was down 26.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that APA will post 4.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at APA

In related news, Director Matthew Regis Bob sold 23,000 shares of APA stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.23, for a total value of $833,290.00. Following the sale, the director owned 6,634 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $240,349.82. This trade represents a 77.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.69% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On APA

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

Key APA News

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sector tailwind — APA benefited from a rally in oil prices this week, which lifted energy names and provided fundamental support for producers' cash flow and margins. APA (APA) Rallied Following the Surge in Oil Prices
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades — Scotiabank raised its APA price target to $36, signaling improved analyst sentiment on the name. Scotiabank Increases APA Price Target to $36
• Positive Sentiment: More bullish research — Goldman Sachs and at least one sell-side note (Susquehanna) have issued bullish commentary/price-target support recently, reinforcing buy-side interest. Goldman Sachs Boosts APA Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector stock-picking pieces highlight energy names including APA as potential opportunities; useful for flow into the sector but not company-specific. Why Investors Need to Take Advantage of These 2 Oils and Energy Stocks Now
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data reported for April appears anomalous (zero/NaN values) and does not show a meaningful build that would indicate a large short-squeeze risk or sustained bearish positioning. (Internal short-interest entry)
• Neutral Sentiment: Several brief market-wrap pieces noted APA outperforming the broader market on recent sessions; these are descriptive rather than catalytic. APA Outperforms Broader Market
• Neutral Sentiment: Miscellaneous/irrelevant coverage (e.g., a style-guide article) is noise and not material to APA Corporation's fundamentals. Master APA 7 style without the stress
• Negative Sentiment: Market selling / profit-taking — a market note flags that APA is trading down and outlines near-term selling pressure as one driver of the decline. That reduces near-term upside despite positive fundamentals. APA Corporation (APA) stock trades down, here is why
• Negative Sentiment: Local environmental/PR risk — a report shows environmental groups pressing for protections in the Adirondacks; while likely peripheral, such issues can create permit/PR headwinds if tied to company activities or confuse investors (the article may refer to a different "APA"). Environmental groups ask APA to protect remoteness in Adirondack Park

About APA

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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