Morgan Stanley Raises APA (NASDAQ:APA) Price Target to $44.00

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley raised its price target on APA to $44 from $43, while keeping an underweight rating. The new target implies about 12.2% upside from the stock’s current price.
• APA shares were down slightly on the day, trading at $39.22, and the stock has moved within a 52-week range of $16.15 to $45.66. The company’s market cap is about $13.86 billion.
• APA recently beat quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $1.38 versus the $1.11 estimate and revenue of $2.33 billion versus $2.13 billion expected. The company also announced a $0.25 per share quarterly dividend.

APA (NASDAQ:APA - Get Free Report) had its price target lifted by research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $43.00 to $44.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has an "underweight" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley's target price would suggest a potential upside of 12.19% from the stock's current price.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research boosted their target price on shares of APA from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of APA from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Barclays upgraded APA from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $35.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Raymond James Financial lifted their target price on APA from $31.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on APA from $38.00 to $41.00 in a report on Friday, May 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $40.12.

APA Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:APA traded down $0.10 during trading on Thursday, reaching $39.22. 1,152,402 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,839,935. APA has a 52-week low of $16.15 and a 52-week high of $45.66. The stock has a market cap of $13.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.15 and a beta of 0.38. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $38.62 and a two-hundred day moving average of $30.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.92.

APA (NASDAQ:APA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.27. APA had a net margin of 17.38% and a return on equity of 20.70%. The business had revenue of $2.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.13 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.06 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that APA will post 5.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at APA

In related news, Director Matthew Regis Bob sold 23,000 shares of APA stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director owned 6,634 shares in the company, valued at approximately $240,349.82. This trade represents a 77.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.73% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of APA

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. United Capital Management of KS Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of APA during the third quarter worth about $1,214,000. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in APA during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,337,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in APA by 57.5% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 306,195 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,765,000 after acquiring an additional 111,777 shares during the period. AE Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in APA by 2,049.4% during the 3rd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 403,511 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,797,000 after acquiring an additional 384,738 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of APA by 71.0% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 185,818 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,437,000 after acquiring an additional 77,125 shares during the last quarter. 83.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

APA News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: APA announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.25 per share, reinforcing its shareholder return story and signaling confidence in cash generation. APA Corporation Declares Cash Dividend on Common Shares
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple forward earnings estimates for APA, including Q2 2026, Q3 2026, Q1 2027, Q2 2027, Q4 2026, FY2027, and FY2028, suggesting improving longer-term earnings expectations.
• Positive Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein lifted its price target on APA to $40 from $37, which may have supported sentiment even though the firm kept a neutral stance. Bernstein adjusts price target on APA
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research maintained a Strong-Buy rating overall, but its latest note also cut its Q1 2028 EPS estimate to $1.15 from $1.24, a mixed signal for the stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target to $34 from $31 but kept a Sell rating, highlighting ongoing skepticism about APA’s upside. Goldman Sachs adjusts price target on APA

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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