21,113 Shares in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) Bought by D.A. Davidson & CO.

D.A. Davidson & CO. acquired a new position in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 21,113 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $487,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its holdings in shares of APA by 22.8% in the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 65,071 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,503,000 after acquiring an additional 12,077 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in APA by 4.2% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,991,513 shares of the company’s stock valued at $293,312,000 after purchasing an additional 485,291 shares during the period. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft grew its holdings in APA by 175.8% during the fourth quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft now owns 23,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $543,000 after purchasing an additional 14,980 shares during the period. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in APA during the third quarter valued at about $7,238,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in APA by 13.5% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,261,324 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,852,000 after purchasing an additional 149,762 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at APA

In related news, Director Juliet S. Ellis acquired 4,391 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $22.78 per share, for a total transaction of $100,026.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 12,436 shares in the company, valued at approximately $283,292.08. This trade represents a 54.58 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

APA Price Performance

NASDAQ:APA opened at $22.38 on Wednesday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $8.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 3.15. APA Co. has a 12 month low of $20.32 and a 12 month high of $36.04. The business’s 50-day moving average is $22.97 and its 200 day moving average is $24.14.

APA Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 22nd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.47%. APA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on APA. Raymond James boosted their price target on APA from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. UBS Group cut their price target on APA from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on APA from $25.00 to $22.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Piper Sandler cut their price target on APA from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company downgraded APA from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $42.00 to $25.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.