APA (NASDAQ:APA) Hits New 12-Month High - Still a Buy?

APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $47.44 and last traded at $47.41, with a volume of 6426263 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $45.03.

Trending Headlines about APA

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its APA EPS forecasts for Q4 2026 to $0.53 from $0.50, Q2 2027 to $0.93 from $0.77, and FY2027 to $3.59 from $3.16. These upward revisions suggest improved expectations for earnings momentum over the next several reporting periods. Zacks Research Analysts Raise Earnings Estimates for APA
• Positive Sentiment: APA was highlighted in a Zacks industry outlook covering W&T Offshore, APA and Diamondback, while a separate Zacks analysis characterized APA as a strong value stock. The company’s low valuation metrics, including a reported price-to-earnings ratio below 9, may be attracting value-oriented investors. Zacks Industry Outlook W&T Offshore, APA and Diamondback Here's Why APA is a Strong Value Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: The latest revisions leave Zacks’ current full-year consensus EPS estimate at $5.71. APA’s most recent quarter showed solid profitability and year-over-year EPS growth, but revenue and EPS slightly missed analyst expectations, limiting the strength of the bullish case.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research cut its Q1 2028 EPS estimate to $0.79 from $0.99 and its Q2 2028 estimate to $0.75 from $0.82. The longer-term reductions point to potential moderation in earnings growth and may weigh on upside if investors focus beyond the near-term improvements.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

APA has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of APA from $41.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday. Argus raised APA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $48.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. KeyCorp set a $46.00 target price on APA in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Citigroup increased their price target on APA from $38.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on APA from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $42.97.

APA Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $16.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 0.37. The stock's 50 day moving average is $39.51 and its 200 day moving average is $37.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

APA (NASDAQ:APA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.90 by ($0.01). APA had a return on equity of 24.84% and a net margin of 19.48%.The firm had revenue of $2.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.46 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.87 EPS. Analysts anticipate that APA Corporation will post 5.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On APA

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of APA during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,173,231,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in APA by 6.9% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 16,376,952 shares of the company's stock valued at $695,099,000 after purchasing an additional 1,055,016 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in APA by 1,726.2% during the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 4,834,502 shares of the company's stock valued at $205,176,000 after purchasing an additional 4,569,779 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in shares of APA by 55.0% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 4,154,301 shares of the company's stock valued at $176,309,000 after purchasing an additional 1,473,626 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in APA by 76.9% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 7,171,963 shares of the company's stock valued at $175,426,000 after buying an additional 3,117,032 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.01% of the company's stock.

APA Company Profile

APA Corporation NASDAQ: APA is an independent energy company engaged in the exploration, development and production of oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids. The company operates through subsidiaries and manages upstream assets spanning exploration, drilling, production and related field-development activities.

APA's principal producing operations are in the Permian Basin of the United States and in Egypt. The company has also pursued offshore exploration opportunities in Suriname, where it has participated in drilling and appraisal activities in the country's offshore blocks.

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