American Century Companies Inc. Has $17.56 Million Stock Holdings in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA)

American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) by 16.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 596,599 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 82,179 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 0.16% of APA worth $17,564,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of APA. American National Bank grew its position in shares of APA by 208.5% in the 1st quarter. American National Bank now owns 725 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 490 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in APA by 75.4% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,093 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 470 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new position in APA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its stake in APA by 386.7% in the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 1,358 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 1,079 shares during the period. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new stake in shares of APA in the second quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Institutional investors own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

APA Trading Down 1.1 %

APA opened at $25.07 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 3.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. APA Co. has a twelve month low of $22.72 and a twelve month high of $43.58. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $28.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $30.13.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $2.54 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.28 billion. APA had a net margin of 32.66% and a return on equity of 35.95%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 41.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.85 EPS. Analysts predict that APA Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

APA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 22nd will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 22nd. APA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 11.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on APA shares. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $41.00 target price on shares of APA in a report on Tuesday. Bank of America restated an “underperform” rating and set a $31.00 target price on shares of APA in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of APA in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $42.00 price target on the stock. Evercore ISI restated an “in-line” rating and set a $39.00 price objective on shares of APA in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on APA from $36.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $36.38.

About APA

APA Corporation, an independent energy company, explores for, develops, and produces natural gas, crude oil, and natural gas liquids. It has oil and gas operations in the United States, Egypt, and North Sea. The company also has exploration and appraisal activities in Suriname, as well as holds interests in projects located in Uruguay and internationally.