APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $32.52.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on APA shares. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of APA from $36.00 to $33.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 8th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of APA from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on shares of APA from $28.00 to $26.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on APA from $49.00 to $47.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on APA from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Juliet S. Ellis acquired 4,391 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $22.78 per share, for a total transaction of $100,026.98. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 12,436 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $283,292.08. This trade represents a 54.58 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of APA by 84.1% in the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,182 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 540 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its holdings in APA by 386.7% in the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 1,358 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 1,079 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new stake in shares of APA in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Huntington National Bank increased its holdings in shares of APA by 48.8% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,710 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 561 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of APA by 164.2% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,581 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 1,604 shares during the period. 83.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

APA Price Performance

APA stock opened at $22.86 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.24. The stock has a market cap of $8.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 3.18. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $23.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $26.60. APA has a 1 year low of $20.95 and a 1 year high of $37.82.

APA Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 22nd. APA’s payout ratio is 14.12%.

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.