APA Corporation $APA Shares Sold by Wedge Capital Management L L P NC

Key Points

• Wedge Capital Management L L P NC reduced its stake in APA by 27.7% in Q4, selling 57,014 shares and finishing with 148,473 shares valued at about $3.63M; institutional investors now own 83.01% of the company.
• APA beat quarterly EPS expectations ($0.91 vs. $0.62) and shows strong margins and ROE, but revenue fell 26.6% year‑over‑year; the company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.25 (2.3% yield) payable May 22.
• Bullish catalysts — including analyst upgrades (Capital One raised its price target to $51), a new gas discovery in Egypt, and unusual call‑option activity — have driven APA to a 52‑week high, though Morgan Stanley remains cautious with an underweight rating.

Wedge Capital Management L L P NC lessened its stake in APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA - Free Report) by 27.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 148,473 shares of the company's stock after selling 57,014 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC's holdings in APA were worth $3,632,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Howard Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in APA by 0.5% during the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 94,848 shares of the company's stock worth $2,303,000 after acquiring an additional 485 shares in the last quarter. one8zero8 LLC raised its position in shares of APA by 1.2% during the third quarter. one8zero8 LLC now owns 42,254 shares of the company's stock worth $1,026,000 after purchasing an additional 488 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of APA by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 106,734 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,592,000 after purchasing an additional 517 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of APA by 19.6% during the 2nd quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,349 shares of the company's stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 550 shares in the last quarter. Finally, O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. grew its position in shares of APA by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. now owns 30,093 shares of the company's stock valued at $736,000 after purchasing an additional 555 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.01% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting APA

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Capital One raised its price target on APA to $51 and kept an overweight rating, implying meaningful upside vs. recent levels; this analyst upgrade helped lift investor sentiment. Capital One adjusts price target on APA to $51
• Positive Sentiment: Raymond James published a forecast calling for strong price appreciation in APA, adding institutional bullishness that can attract momentum buyers. Raymond James Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for APA
• Positive Sentiment: APA reported a new gas discovery in Egypt, which could accelerate production, lower unit costs and strengthen the company’s natural‑gas exposure—key fundamentals for energy-sector upside. APA's New Gas Discovery Strengthens Egypt's Energy Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity: investors bought ~17,525 call contracts (about 55% above typical call volume), signaling short‑term bullish positioning that can amplify upside intraday.
• Positive Sentiment: Ariel Investments’ Charles Bobrinskoy (vice chairman) publicly noted APA is well positioned for rising natural‑gas demand, reinforcing investor narratives around long‑term commodity tailwinds. Ariel's Charles Bobrinskoy: APA is very well positioned for increased demand in natural gas
• Neutral Sentiment: Truist initiated coverage of APA (coverage initiation often increases visibility and volume; impact depends on the assigned rating and price target). Truist Financial Initiates Coverage on APA
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks noted APA is up ~47% since the last earnings report and asks whether that run can continue—this is discussion of momentum rather than new fundamental data. APA Up 47.1% Since Last Earnings Report
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target from $22 to $43 but kept an "underweight" rating — the firm’s cautious stance (despite a higher PT) can cap some upside and introduces a near‑term bearish signal. Morgan Stanley raises PT but keeps underweight
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage and analyst activity have driven APA to a new 52‑week high after upgrades, attracting momentum and technical buyers. APA Sets New 52-Week High After Analyst Upgrade

APA Stock Performance

Shares of APA opened at $44.39 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.13 and a beta of 0.67. APA Corporation has a 12 month low of $13.58 and a 12 month high of $44.54. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $30.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $26.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61.

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. The firm had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.89 billion. APA had a net margin of 15.55% and a return on equity of 19.89%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 26.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.79 EPS. Research analysts forecast that APA Corporation will post 4.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

APA Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 22nd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. APA's payout ratio is 25.06%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APA has been the topic of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of APA from $22.00 to $26.00 in a research note on Monday, March 9th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of APA from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Zacks Research raised shares of APA from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Johnson Rice raised APA from a "hold" rating to an "accumulate" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $35.00 to $40.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Stephens boosted their price target on APA from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, APA has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $33.81.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Matthew Regis Bob sold 23,000 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 6,634 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $240,349.82. This represents a 77.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.69% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

APA 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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