Van ECK Associates Corp Has $1.78 Million Holdings in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA)

Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 77,110 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 469 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in APA were worth $1,780,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in APA. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of APA by 164.2% in 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 in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of APA by 87.8% in the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 16,019 shares of the company’s stock valued at $392,000 after buying an additional 7,490 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of APA by 46.8% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 10,431 shares of the company’s stock valued at $255,000 after buying an additional 3,323 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of APA in the 3rd quarter valued at $11,210,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of APA by 3,286.9% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 308,206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,539,000 after buying an additional 299,106 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

APA Stock Performance

Shares of APA stock opened at $22.79 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.24. The company has a market capitalization of $8.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 3.15. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $22.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $24.26. APA Co. has a 52 week low of $20.32 and a 52 week high of $36.04.

APA Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 22nd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.39%. APA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other APA news, Director Juliet S. Ellis acquired 4,391 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $22.78 per share, for a total transaction of $100,026.98. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 12,436 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $283,292.08. This trade represents a 54.58 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on APA. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of APA from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th. Raymond James upped their target price on shares of APA from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of APA from $25.00 to $24.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of APA from $25.00 to $22.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of APA from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $30.65.

APA Company Profile

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.