First Trust Advisors LP Purchases 1,473,626 Shares of APA Corporation $APA

Key Points

• First Trust Advisors LP increased its APA stake by 55% in the first quarter, buying 1,473,626 additional shares and ending with 4,154,301 shares worth about $176.3 million.
• APA reported strong recent quarterly results, with EPS of $1.38 beating estimates and revenue of $2.33 billion topping expectations, while the company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share.
• Wall Street sentiment remains cautious: analysts currently rate APA a consensus Hold, with a consensus price target of $40.35, and several firms have recently trimmed their targets.

First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA - Free Report) by 55.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 4,154,301 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,473,626 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 1.18% of APA worth $176,309,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Hollencrest Capital Management grew its holdings in APA by 520.8% in the 1st quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 596 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of APA during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Summit Securities Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of APA by 115.1% during the fourth quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 1,327 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 710 shares during the last quarter. Camelot Portfolios LLC bought a new stake in shares of APA in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Global Assets Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of APA in the first quarter valued at approximately $44,000. 83.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Mark D. Maddox sold 9,800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.04, for a total value of $392,392.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 66,810 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,675,072.40. The trade was a 12.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.73% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on APA shares. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of APA from $47.00 to $45.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Raymond James Financial reduced their price target on shares of APA from $57.00 to $50.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of APA from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of APA from $44.00 to $41.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of APA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, July 4th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, APA presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $40.35.

Trending Headlines about APA

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised earnings estimates for APA in several future periods, including Q4 2027, Q2 2027, Q1 2027, Q4 2026, and FY2028, suggesting improved longer-term earnings potential.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research initiated or reiterated a Hold rating on APA and kept its FY2026 and Q2 2026 estimates in line with current expectations, which does not materially change the near-term outlook.
• Neutral Sentiment: Susquehanna lowered its price target on APA from $47 to $45, but maintained a positive rating, implying continued upside from current levels despite a slightly less bullish valuation view. Article: Susquehanna lowers APA price target
• Negative Sentiment: Some near-term earnings estimates were cut, including Q3 2026 and Q1 2028, which could temper enthusiasm if investors are focused on shorter-term results.

APA Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ APA opened at $36.18 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.43 and a beta of 0.35. APA Corporation has a one year low of $17.86 and a one year high of $45.66. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $35.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $33.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

APA (NASDAQ:APA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.27. APA had a net margin of 17.38% and a return on equity of 20.70%. The firm had revenue of $2.33 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.13 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.06 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that APA Corporation will post 4.92 EPS for the current year.

APA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 22nd. APA's payout ratio is 23.31%.

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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