Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Boosts Stock Position in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 11,991,513 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 485,291 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned about 3.24% of APA worth $293,312,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blair William & Co. IL acquired a new position in APA in the 1st quarter valued at about $256,000. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in APA by 75.4% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,093 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 470 shares during the last quarter. American International Group Inc. grew its position in APA by 15.4% in the first quarter. American International Group Inc. now owns 99,737 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,429,000 after acquiring an additional 13,279 shares during the period. CreativeOne Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in APA during the first quarter worth $251,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in APA in the first quarter valued at $59,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Mizuho cut their price objective on APA from $35.00 to $28.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of APA from $29.00 to $25.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of APA from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of APA from $39.00 to $33.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Susquehanna cut their target price on APA from $52.00 to $48.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $32.81.

APA Stock Up 1.5 %

APA stock opened at $22.77 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $8.42 billion, a PE ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 3.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.24. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $24.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.42. APA Co. has a 1-year low of $21.15 and a 1-year high of $37.82.

APA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 22nd. APA’s payout ratio is 14.12%.

APA 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.