Zacks Research Has Negative Estimate for APA Q1 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research cut its Q1 2026 EPS estimate for APA to $0.36 from $0.54 and maintained a Hold rating, lowering near‑term earnings expectations.
• APA recently reported $0.91 EPS vs. a $0.62 consensus and $1.99B revenue (a beat), although revenue declined 26.6% year‑over‑year.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed with a consensus Hold and an average price target of $29.92 (7 Buys, 17 Holds, 4 Sells); the company announced a $0.25 quarterly dividend (3.0% yield) and institutions own about 83% of shares.

APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA - Free Report) - Analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of APA in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, March 11th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the company will earn $0.36 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.54. Zacks Research currently has a "Hold" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for APA's current full-year earnings is $4.03 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for APA's Q3 2026 earnings at $0.40 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $1.66 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.48 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.46 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.46 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.32 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $1.73 EPS.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Stephens lifted their price target on APA from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Roth Mkm raised their target price on APA from $23.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Raymond James Financial reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $31.00 price objective on shares of APA in a research report on Monday, November 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of APA from $23.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays set a $24.00 price target on APA in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, APA has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $29.92.

APA Trading Up 1.9%

NASDAQ:APA opened at $33.61 on Friday. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $27.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $25.26. APA has a one year low of $13.58 and a one year high of $34.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.42, a PEG ratio of 17.10 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

APA (NASDAQ:APA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.62 by $0.29. APA had a net margin of 15.55% and a return on equity of 19.89%. The firm had revenue of $1.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.89 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.79 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 26.6% compared to the same quarter last year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of APA by 6.6% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 33,300 shares of the company's stock valued at $700,000 after purchasing an additional 2,070 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of APA by 49.6% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 10,785 shares of the company's stock valued at $227,000 after purchasing an additional 3,578 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in APA by 43.3% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,668,505 shares of the company's stock valued at $56,092,000 after buying an additional 806,252 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth raised its holdings in APA by 10.6% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 44,833 shares of the company's stock valued at $942,000 after buying an additional 4,297 shares during the period. Finally, Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in APA by 25.9% in the second quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 4,230 shares of the company's stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 871 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.01% of the company's stock.

APA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 22nd. APA's dividend payout ratio is currently 25.06%.

Key Stories Impacting APA

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler raised its price target to $37 (now "Neutral"), boosting upside narrative and supporting today's buying interest. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Capital One lifted its target to $32 and maintained an "Overweight" stance, signaling conviction from a buyside-focused shop. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: RBC and other outlets have raised targets and highlighted oil-strength/earnings momentum as fundamental support for APA shares, adding to the bullish analyst chorus. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Several independent and sell-side pieces (Wolfe Research, Jefferies coverage summaries, and bullish writeups on Seeking Alpha) reinforce a narrative that APA may be undervalued given cash flow and dividend profile. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reports show effectively zero reported short volume (with anomalous NaN reporting), which appears to be reporting noise rather than a meaningful change in short positioning; not a clear market mover.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed Q2 and Q4 2026 EPS estimates (Q2 to $0.44, Q4 to $0.46) and lowered FY2028 forecasts — a direct negative to near-term earnings expectations that can cap upside. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs increased its target to $29 but kept a "Sell" rating, implying limited upside and contributing downside pressure from a prominent sell-side voice. 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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