Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC Decreases Stake in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA)

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC cut its holdings in shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) by 19.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 185,580 shares of the company’s stock after selling 45,612 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC owned approximately 0.05% of APA worth $4,339,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in shares of APA by 22.8% during the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 65,071 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,503,000 after acquiring an additional 12,077 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in APA by 4.2% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,991,513 shares of the company’s stock worth $293,312,000 after purchasing an additional 485,291 shares during the last quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft grew its position in APA by 175.8% in the 4th quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft now owns 23,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $543,000 after purchasing an additional 14,980 shares during the period. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in APA during the 3rd quarter valued at $7,238,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in APA by 13.5% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,261,324 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,852,000 after buying an additional 149,762 shares during the last quarter. 83.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

APA Stock Up 0.1 %

NASDAQ APA opened at $23.61 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $22.92 and its 200 day moving average is $24.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. APA Co. has a 12 month low of $20.32 and a 12 month high of $36.04. The stock has a market cap of $8.73 billion, a PE ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 3.15.

APA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 22nd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.24%. APA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other APA news, Director Juliet S. Ellis purchased 4,391 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $22.78 per share, with a total value of $100,026.98. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 12,436 shares in the company, valued at approximately $283,292.08. This trade represents a 54.58 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on APA shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered APA from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $42.00 to $25.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Raymond James boosted their price target on APA from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of APA from $25.00 to $24.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of APA from $29.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of APA from $25.00 to $22.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $30.65.

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.