Axa S.A. Acquires 269,447 Shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA)

Axa S.A. boosted its stake in shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA - Free Report) by 109.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 514,969 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 269,447 shares during the quarter. Axa S.A. owned about 0.14% of APA worth $11,891,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of APA. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of APA by 1,087.9% during the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 1,176 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 1,077 shares during the period. Riverview Trust Co lifted its position in APA by 5,718.2% during the fourth quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 1,280 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 1,258 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its holdings in shares of APA by 77.9% during the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 1,338 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 586 shares during the period. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of APA in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in shares of APA by 93.5% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,614 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 780 shares during the period. 83.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APA has been the subject of several recent research reports. Citigroup reduced their price target on APA from $20.00 to $15.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Susquehanna decreased their price target on shares of APA from $31.00 to $30.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of APA from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of APA from $25.00 to $19.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Scotiabank lowered their target price on shares of APA from $26.00 to $14.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $25.79.

APA Trading Down 5.8 %

APA opened at $15.50 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $5.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The company's 50 day moving average is $17.89 and its 200-day moving average is $21.14. APA Co. has a 1-year low of $13.58 and a 1-year high of $33.41.

APA (NASDAQ:APA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.18). APA had a return on equity of 27.86% and a net margin of 24.36%. The company had revenue of $2.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.31 billion. Equities research analysts predict that APA Co. will post 4.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

APA Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 22nd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.45%. APA's dividend payout ratio is presently 44.25%.

About APA

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.

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