APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the nineteen ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $30.65.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on APA. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded APA from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $42.00 to $25.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Raymond James boosted their price objective on APA from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of APA from $25.00 to $22.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of APA from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price objective 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.

APA Trading Down 1.7 %

APA opened at $22.01 on Thursday. APA has a 1-year low of $20.32 and a 1-year high of $36.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.14 billion, a PE ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 3.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $22.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $24.13.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.18). APA had a net margin of 24.36% and a return on equity of 27.86%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that APA will post 4.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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 4.54%. APA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.12%.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On APA

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of APA. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its holdings in shares of APA by 1,087.9% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 1,176 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,077 shares during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its position in 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 in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co increased its stake in APA by 5,718.2% in the 4th quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 1,280 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 1,258 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its position in APA by 77.9% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 1,338 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 586 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of APA during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Institutional investors own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

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.