Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Has $11.43 Million Stock Position in APA Corporation $APA

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its stake in APA to 466,063 shares—buying 31,617 shares in Q4—for a position worth $11.43 million (a 7.3% lift).
• Institutional ownership is high at 83.01%, with major funds (Dimensional, Northern Trust, AQR, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America) adding materially to their APA positions recently.
• APA beat quarterly EPS estimates ($0.91 vs. $0.62), pays a quarterly dividend of $0.25 (2.7% yield), and carries a MarketBeat consensus rating of "Hold" with an average price target of $39.50.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lifted its holdings in APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA - Free Report) by 7.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 466,063 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 31,617 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.13% of APA worth $11,432,000 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. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of APA by 13.6% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 14,030,230 shares of the company's stock worth $340,657,000 after purchasing an additional 1,674,739 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of APA by 29.6% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 4,462,476 shares of the company's stock worth $108,349,000 after purchasing an additional 1,018,326 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of APA by 157.1% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,060,135 shares of the company's stock worth $55,970,000 after purchasing an additional 1,869,891 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of APA by 43.3% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,668,505 shares of the company's stock worth $56,092,000 after purchasing an additional 806,252 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in shares of APA by 8.4% in the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,498,208 shares of the company's stock worth $60,656,000 after purchasing an additional 193,580 shares during the period. 83.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on APA shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded APA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. UBS Group boosted their price target on APA from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on APA from $25.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Stephens boosted their price target on APA from $24.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Wolfe Research boosted their price target on APA from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, APA presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $39.50.

APA Trading Down 2.4%

APA stock opened at $37.73 on Friday. APA Corporation has a 1-year low of $15.20 and a 1-year high of $45.66. The firm has a market cap of $13.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.46 and a beta of 0.49. The business's 50 day moving average is $35.86 and its 200-day moving average is $28.66. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.89 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.79 EPS. The company's revenue was down 26.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that APA Corporation will post 4.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

APA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 22nd will be paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 22nd. APA's dividend payout ratio is currently 25.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling at APA

In other news, Director Matthew Regis Bob sold 23,000 shares of the company's 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 sale, the director directly owned 6,634 shares in the company, valued at approximately $240,349.82. This represents a 77.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.69% of the company's stock.

APA News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sector tailwind — APA benefited from a rally in oil prices this week, which lifted energy names and provided fundamental support for producers' cash flow and margins. APA (APA) Rallied Following the Surge in Oil Prices
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades — Scotiabank raised its APA price target to $36, signaling improved analyst sentiment on the name. Scotiabank Increases APA Price Target to $36
• Positive Sentiment: More bullish research — Goldman Sachs and at least one sell-side note (Susquehanna) have issued bullish commentary/price-target support recently, reinforcing buy-side interest. Goldman Sachs Boosts APA Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector stock-picking pieces highlight energy names including APA as potential opportunities; useful for flow into the sector but not company-specific. Why Investors Need to Take Advantage of These 2 Oils and Energy Stocks Now
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data reported for April appears anomalous (zero/NaN values) and does not show a meaningful build that would indicate a large short-squeeze risk or sustained bearish positioning. (Internal short-interest entry)
• Neutral Sentiment: Several brief market-wrap pieces noted APA outperforming the broader market on recent sessions; these are descriptive rather than catalytic. APA Outperforms Broader Market
• Neutral Sentiment: Miscellaneous/irrelevant coverage (e.g., a style-guide article) is noise and not material to APA Corporation's fundamentals. Master APA 7 style without the stress
• Negative Sentiment: Market selling / profit-taking — a market note flags that APA is trading down and outlines near-term selling pressure as one driver of the decline. That reduces near-term upside despite positive fundamentals. APA Corporation (APA) stock trades down, here is why
• Negative Sentiment: Local environmental/PR risk — a report shows environmental groups pressing for protections in the Adirondacks; while likely peripheral, such issues can create permit/PR headwinds if tied to company activities or confuse investors (the article may refer to a different "APA"). Environmental groups ask APA to protect remoteness in Adirondack Park

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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