APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the nineteen analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $30.55.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on APA shares. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on APA from $39.00 to $33.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of APA from $29.00 to $25.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Susquehanna dropped their target price on shares of APA from $52.00 to $48.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 18th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of APA from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of APA from $29.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th.

APA Price Performance

NASDAQ APA opened at $23.68 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 3.16. 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 business’s fifty day moving average is $22.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $25.65. APA has a 1 year low of $20.32 and a 1 year high of $36.04.

APA Announces Dividend

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 paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.22%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 22nd. APA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Juliet S. Ellis purchased 4,391 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $22.78 per share, for a total transaction of $100,026.98. Following the purchase, the director now owns 12,436 shares in the company, valued at $283,292.08. The trade was a 54.58 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On APA

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Harris Associates L P raised its position in shares of APA by 20.8% in the third quarter. Harris Associates L P now owns 24,914,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $609,414,000 after purchasing an additional 4,293,932 shares during the period. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in APA by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 30,471,834 shares of the company’s stock worth $745,341,000 after acquiring an additional 3,411,270 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in APA by 131.7% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,813,655 shares of the company’s stock worth $141,704,000 after acquiring an additional 2,736,041 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC boosted its holdings in APA by 3,450.8% during the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 985,907 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,115,000 after acquiring an additional 958,141 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of APA by 112.6% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,448,935 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,092,000 after purchasing an additional 767,557 shares during the last quarter. 83.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.