Zacks Research Has Optimistic Outlook of APA FY2026 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised APA’s FY2026 EPS estimate to $4.40 from $4.22 and also increased several 2027–2028 forecasts, signaling improved medium-term earnings expectations.
• Despite the higher forecasts, Zacks maintained a Hold rating. MarketBeat reports a consensus Hold rating, with 10 Buy, 16 Hold and four Sell recommendations and an average price target of $41.50.
• APA’s latest quarter slightly missed expectations, reporting $1.89 EPS versus $1.90 expected and $2.37 billion in revenue versus $2.46 billion projected; the stock opened at $44.39 and institutional investors own 83.01% of shares.

APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA - Free Report) - Zacks Research increased their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for APA in a research report issued on Thursday, August 20th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $4.40 for the year, up from their prior estimate of $4.22. Zacks Research has a "Hold" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for APA's current full-year earnings is $5.27 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for APA's Q1 2027 earnings at $0.94 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.72 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.73 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $3.16 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $0.99 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $3.59 EPS.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. Roth Capital set a $39.00 price target on shares of APA in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Barclays reduced their price objective on APA from $41.00 to $40.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on APA from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Weiss Ratings raised APA from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Capital One Financial boosted their price target on APA from $50.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $41.50.

APA Trading Up 2.2%

APA stock opened at $44.39 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $35.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $35.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.38 and a beta of 0.35. APA has a 52-week low of $19.96 and a 52-week high of $45.66.

APA (NASDAQ:APA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.89 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.90 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $2.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.46 billion. APA had a return on equity of 24.84% and a net margin of 19.48%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.87 EPS.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On APA

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in APA. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in APA by 85.2% in the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 80,815 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,976,000 after purchasing an additional 37,180 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in shares of APA by 59.4% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 112,895 shares of the company's stock worth $2,761,000 after purchasing an additional 42,068 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of APA by 20.1% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 193,102 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,723,000 after buying an additional 32,357 shares during the last quarter. Prudential PLC grew its stake in shares of APA by 753.2% in the 4th quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 136,744 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,345,000 after buying an additional 120,717 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new position in APA in the fourth quarter worth approximately $19,968,000. Institutional investors own 83.01% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about APA

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Argus upgraded APA Corporation from Hold to Buy and assigned a $48 price target, implying additional upside from the referenced $44.39 price. The upgrade provides a stronger bullish signal for the stock. APA Raised to Buy at Argus
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its EPS forecasts for FY2026 to $4.40 from $4.22, FY2027 to $3.16 from $2.99, and FY2028 to $3.59 from $3.38. It also lifted estimates for Q1 2027 to $0.94 from $0.84, Q3 2027 to $0.72 from $0.68, and Q4 2027 to $0.73 from $0.69. The revisions suggest improving expectations for APA’s medium-term earnings.
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite the higher forecasts for most periods, Zacks trimmed its Q1 2028 EPS estimate to $0.99 from $1.03. Zacks maintained a Hold rating, indicating that the improved outlook has not yet justified a fully bullish recommendation.
• Negative Sentiment: APA’s latest reported quarter slightly missed expectations, with EPS of $1.89 versus a $1.90 consensus estimate and revenue of $2.37 billion versus $2.46 billion. That recent earnings and revenue shortfall may limit the impact of the more favorable longer-term estimate revisions.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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