Zacks Research Has Positive Forecast for APA Q4 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised its Q4 2026 EPS estimate for APA to $0.73 from $0.67, while keeping a Hold rating on the stock. The firm also projected earnings through 2028, including $5.00 per share for the current full year.
• APA recently beat expectations in its latest quarterly report, posting EPS of $1.38 versus the $1.11 consensus and revenue of $2.33 billion versus $2.13 billion expected. However, revenue was still down 11.7% from a year earlier.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed despite multiple price-target increases from firms like Susquehanna, Citi, JPMorgan, Jefferies, and RBC. Overall, the stock’s consensus rating is Hold with a consensus price target of $40.42.

APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA - Free Report) - Research analysts at Zacks Research raised their Q4 2026 EPS estimates for shares of APA in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, July 20th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will earn $0.73 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $0.67. Zacks Research has a "Hold" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for APA's current full-year earnings is $5.00 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for APA's Q1 2027 earnings at $0.84 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.78 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.68 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $1.03 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $3.38 EPS.

APA (NASDAQ:APA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $2.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.13 billion. APA had a net margin of 17.38% and a return on equity of 20.70%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.06 earnings per share.

APA has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on APA from $37.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Citigroup increased their target price on APA from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on APA from $38.00 to $41.00 in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of APA from $26.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of APA from $29.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $40.42.

APA Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of NASDAQ APA opened at $34.84 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.92. The business's 50 day moving average price is $35.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $33.66. APA has a fifty-two week low of $17.86 and a fifty-two week high of $45.66. The company has a market cap of $12.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.12 and a beta of 0.35.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On APA

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in APA. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased 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 buying an additional 4,569,779 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in APA by 76.9% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 7,171,963 shares of the company's stock worth $175,426,000 after buying an additional 3,117,032 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in APA by 157.1% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,060,135 shares of the company's stock worth $55,970,000 after buying an additional 1,869,891 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in APA by 21.8% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,425,586 shares of the company's stock worth $255,010,000 after buying an additional 1,864,900 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in APA by 55.0% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 4,154,301 shares of the company's stock worth $176,309,000 after buying an additional 1,473,626 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.01% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other APA news, VP Mark D. Maddox sold 9,800 shares of APA stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.04, for a total transaction of $392,392.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 66,810 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,675,072.40. The trade was a 12.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.73% of the stock is owned by insiders.

APA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 22nd. APA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.31%.

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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