Raymond James Financial Raises APA (NASDAQ:APA) Price Target to $45.00

Key Points

• Raymond James raised its price target on APA to $45.00 (from $31.00) and kept an Outperform rating, implying roughly a 10.4% upside from the current share price.
• Despite several firms lifting targets, the consensus remains a Hold with an average price target of $32.23 and a split of 7 Buys, 20 Holds and 4 Sells, signaling mixed analyst sentiment.
• APA beat quarterly EPS estimates ($0.91 vs. $0.62) with $1.99B in revenue despite a 26.6% year‑over‑year revenue decline; the stock trades near $40.77 (52‑week high $41.45) and an insider recently sold 23,000 shares.

APA (NASDAQ:APA - Get Free Report) had its target price hoisted by Raymond James Financial from $31.00 to $45.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The firm presently has an "outperform" rating on the stock. Raymond James Financial's target price indicates a potential upside of 10.37% from the stock's current price.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on APA. Johnson Rice raised shares of APA from a "hold" rating to an "accumulate" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $35.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of APA from $24.00 to $29.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Truist Financial started coverage on APA in a report on Tuesday. They issued a "hold" rating and a $38.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on APA from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Stephens raised their target price on APA from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Seven investment 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, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $32.23.

APA Stock Down 0.1%

APA stock opened at $40.77 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $29.70 and a 200-day moving average of $26.10. APA has a fifty-two week low of $13.58 and a fifty-two week high of $41.45. The company has a market capitalization of $14.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.17 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.82.

APA (NASDAQ:APA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.89 billion. APA had a return on equity of 19.89% and a net margin of 15.55%.The firm's quarterly revenue was down 26.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.79 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that APA will post 4.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Matthew Regis Bob sold 23,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.23, for a total transaction of $833,290.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 6,634 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $240,349.82. The trade was a 77.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On APA

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of APA. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators lifted its holdings in shares of APA by 276.7% during the 3rd quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,213 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 891 shares during the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC increased its stake in APA by 115.1% in the fourth quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 1,327 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 710 shares during the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new position in APA in the third quarter valued at $34,000. Spire Wealth Management raised its position in APA by 179.6% during the third quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,521 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 977 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Camelot Portfolios LLC purchased a new stake in APA during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.01% of the company's stock.

Key APA News

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays upgraded APA to Equal Weight, citing benefits from LNG‑linked price contracts — a supportive analyst move that can attract buyers. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Evercore raised its price target from $25 to $40 while keeping an in‑line/neutral rating — a large PT lift that validates higher valuation and may boost momentum. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: APA announced a natural gas discovery in Egypt’s Western Desert — fresh production/resource upside that can improve near‑term growth expectations. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Reported short interest fell from ~34.5M to ~29.7M shares (about 8.5% of float) as of mid‑March — a reduction in short exposure that can lessen downside pressure and support the rally. (Internal short‑interest report)
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary is asking whether APA’s recent multi‑year run is already priced in — useful for longer‑term valuation debates but not an immediate catalyst. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading / technical pieces note a strong uptrend and potential momentum reversal signals — relevant for traders but mixed as a fundamental catalyst. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Truist initiated coverage with a Hold rating and a $38 price target (below the recent market level) — a conservative stance that could cap near‑term upside. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its PT slightly to $30 but retained a Sell rating — a noteworthy negative signal from a major house that may weigh on investor sentiment. Read More.

About APA

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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