APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the nineteen brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $30.55.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on APA shares. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on APA from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on APA from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on APA from $36.00 to $33.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of APA from $25.00 to $22.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of APA from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $42.00 to $25.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th.

APA Price Performance

APA stock opened at $23.66 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $22.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $25.76. APA has a 1 year low of $20.32 and a 1 year high of $36.04. The stock has a market cap of $8.75 billion, a PE ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 3.16. 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 Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 22nd will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.23%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 22nd. APA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.12%.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On APA

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in APA. TD Private Client Wealth LLC increased its stake 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 buying an additional 540 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank boosted its holdings in APA by 48.8% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,710 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 561 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in 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 purchasing an additional 1,604 shares during the period. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in APA during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $76,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd lifted its position in shares of APA by 40.8% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 3,093 shares of the company’s stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 896 shares during the period. 83.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.