California State Teachers Retirement System Sells 22,048 Shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA)

California State Teachers Retirement System lowered its position in shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA - Free Report) by 4.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 439,665 shares of the company's stock after selling 22,048 shares during the quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System owned 0.12% of APA worth $10,152,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of APA. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its stake in shares of APA by 22.8% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 65,071 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,503,000 after purchasing an additional 12,077 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its position in APA by 58.0% during the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 5,713 shares of the company's stock worth $132,000 after acquiring an additional 2,098 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in APA by 35.1% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 22,831 shares of the company's stock worth $527,000 after acquiring an additional 5,928 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in APA by 95.1% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,035 shares of the company's stock worth $123,000 after acquiring an additional 2,454 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in APA by 22.2% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 74,138 shares of the company's stock worth $1,712,000 after acquiring an additional 13,487 shares during the last quarter. 83.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

APA Stock Down 2.1%

Shares of NASDAQ APA traded down $0.39 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $17.88. The company had a trading volume of 2,847,723 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,949,551. APA Co. has a 12-month low of $13.58 and a 12-month high of $33.41. The stock has a market cap of $6.47 billion, a PE ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.18. The business's 50-day moving average is $16.75 and its 200 day moving average is $20.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03.

APA (NASDAQ:APA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.23. APA had a net margin of 24.36% and a return on equity of 27.86%. The company had revenue of $2.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.78 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 35.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that APA Co. will post 4.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

APA Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 22nd will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 22nd. APA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on APA shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "sell" rating and issued a $23.00 price objective on shares of APA in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Raymond James restated an "outperform" rating and set a $25.00 target price (up previously from $23.00) on shares of APA in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on APA from $25.00 to $23.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on APA from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Argus upgraded APA to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $25.21.

APA Company Profile

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.