APA (NASDAQ:APA) Reaches New 1-Year High After Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• APA hit a new 52-week high after Benchmark raised its price target from $33 to $40 and maintained a buy rating, pushing the stock to $33.10 during Friday trading.
• Analyst coverage is mixed—seven Buys, seventeen Holds and four Sells—leaving a consensus rating of "Hold" with an average target price of $28.92, well below some recent upgrades.
• Fundamentals show recent strength: APA beat quarterly estimates with $0.91 EPS vs. $0.62 expected and $1.99B revenue, and the company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.25 (about a 3.1% yield).

APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday after Benchmark raised their price target on the stock from $33.00 to $40.00. Benchmark currently has a buy rating on the stock. APA traded as high as $33.10 and last traded at $33.10, with a volume of 95027 shares. The stock had previously closed at $32.38.

APA has been the topic of several other research reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on APA from $23.00 to $21.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Stephens upped their price objective on shares of APA from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Johnson Rice upgraded shares of APA from a "hold" rating to an "accumulate" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $35.00 to $40.00 in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Susquehanna upped their price target on shares of APA from $32.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on APA from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $28.92.

Trending Headlines about APA

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Benchmark raised its price target to $40 and maintained a "buy" rating, giving the stock a clear upside narrative that likely supported buying interest. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: APA was featured by an energy strategist as a top upstream pick — the piece highlights APA's improved cash flow, low valuation (single-digit P/E) and cost reductions, which reinforce a bullish fundamental case. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage in recent days (Susquehanna, BMO and an American Banking News note) has signaled upside expectations and raised price targets, adding momentum to buy-side interest. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Seeking Alpha and other reports highlight APA’s operational efficiencies (cost cuts, strong free cash flow and a multi-year well inventory), supporting a durable cash-generation story that investors reward. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: APA announced a dual listing on Nasdaq Texas, a move that may improve visibility with Texas-focused institutional and retail investors and is being framed positively by management. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC and Piper Sandler both bumped price targets (to $29 and $30 respectively) but kept non‑buy ratings, a mixed signal that tempers the upside from other upgrades. Read More. / Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data reported for early March are inconsistent/zero in the published feeds (likely noisy or delayed data), so there’s no clear short-squeeze signal at present. (Data vendor notices)
• Neutral Sentiment: Legislative chatter (H.R.7554) that would limit greenhouse-gas regulation was noted as potentially favorable for fossil-fuel producers, but its outlook and impact remain speculative and long-term. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Scotiabank cut its FY2027 EPS estimate for APA to $1.50 from $1.65, a downward revision that introduces some earnings-growth risk and may cap upside if other firms follow with cuts. (Research note, Mar 5)

Institutional Trading of APA

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of APA. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators increased its holdings in shares of APA by 276.7% during the third quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,213 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 891 shares in the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC grew its position in APA by 115.1% during the 4th quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 1,327 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 710 shares during the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new stake in APA during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. 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 purchasing an additional 977 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Camelot Portfolios LLC acquired a new position in APA in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. 83.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

APA Trading Up 1.1%

The company has a market cap of $11.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 15.11 and a beta of 0.67. 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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $26.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $24.84.

APA (NASDAQ:APA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.29. APA had a return on equity of 19.89% and a net margin of 15.55%.The business had revenue of $1.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.89 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.79 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 26.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that APA Corporation will post 4.03 EPS for the current year.

APA Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 22nd. APA's dividend payout ratio is 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.