Evercore Increases APA (NASDAQ:APA) Price Target to $40.00

Key Points

• Evercore raised its price target on APA from $25 to $40 while maintaining a neutral rating, which implies only about a 2.49% upside from the current share price.
• Analyst consensus remains a Hold with an average price target of $31.69 (seven Buys, twenty Holds, four Sells), though several firms including Wolfe and Johnson Rice have recently increased their targets.
• APA beat quarterly estimates (Q4 EPS $0.91 vs. $0.62; revenue $1.99B), shares trade near the one‑year high (~$39), but an APA director sold roughly $833k of stock—an observation some may view as a negative insider signal.

APA (NASDAQ:APA - Get Free Report) had its price target boosted by equities researchers at Evercore from $25.00 to $40.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a "neutral" rating on the stock. Evercore's price target points to a potential upside of 2.49% from the stock's current price.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on APA. Wolfe Research increased their price objective on shares of APA from $39.00 to $45.00 in a research report on Monday, March 9th. William Blair started coverage on shares of APA in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $32.00 price target for the company. Johnson Rice upgraded APA from a "hold" rating to an "accumulate" rating and increased their price target for the company from $35.00 to $40.00 in a report on Thursday, December 4th. TD Cowen raised APA to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on APA from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $31.69.

APA Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ APA opened at $39.03 on Tuesday. APA has a 1 year low of $13.58 and a 1 year high of $39.51. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $29.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $25.98. The firm has a market cap of $13.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.78 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.82.

APA (NASDAQ:APA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.62 by $0.29. APA had a return on equity of 19.89% and a net margin of 15.55%.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 business earned $0.79 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 26.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that APA will post 4.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at APA

In other APA news, Director Matthew Regis Bob sold 23,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.23, for a total transaction of $833,290.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 6,634 shares in the company, valued at $240,349.82. This represents a 77.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On APA

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators raised its position in shares of APA by 276.7% during the 3rd quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,213 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 891 shares during the period. Summit Securities Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of APA by 115.1% in 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 period. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new stake in APA in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Spire Wealth Management boosted its stake 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 during the period. Finally, Camelot Portfolios LLC acquired a new position in APA during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Institutional investors own 83.01% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting APA

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays upgraded APA from "underweight" to "equal weight" citing a better gas‑marketing outlook and LNG‑linked price contracts — a catalyst investors see as supporting near‑term cash flow and contract upside. Barclays upgrades APA stock rating on gas marketing outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Another note raised APA’s price target to $38.00, reflecting some analysts updating models after recent strength — this supports arguments that analyst estimates are moving higher. APA NASDAQ: APA Price Target Raised to $38.00
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage piece examines whether APA’s recent multi‑year run (YTD and 1‑year gains large) leaves value fully priced; useful context for investors weighing further upside vs. valuation risk. Is It Too Late To Consider APA (APA) After Its Strong Multi‑Year Share Price Run?
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical/trader commentary highlights APA’s strong uptrend and notes that momentum reversals would be used as exit signals by some traders — relevant for short‑term trading decisions. Stock Of The Day: When Will APA Corp Reverse?
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short interest data is effectively zero in the latest print (appears anomalous); low reported shorts would limit short‑squeeze dynamics but may reflect reporting quirks — treat as uncertain.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling reported: an APA director sold roughly $833k of stock, which can be interpreted as a near‑term negative signal for sentiment among insiders. Insider Selling: APA NASDAQ: APA Director Sells $833,290.00 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target to $30 but kept a "sell" rating, and Barclays’ $35 target also sits below the current share price — these conservative targets and lingering sell ratings signal continued analyst caution and cap upside in some models. Goldman Sachs adjusts APA's price target to $30 from $29, keeps sell rating

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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