Pacer Advisors Inc. Has $1.71 Million Stake in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA)

Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) by 22.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 74,138 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,487 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in APA were worth $1,712,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in APA by 95.1% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,035 shares of the company’s stock worth $123,000 after buying an additional 2,454 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in APA by 35.1% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 22,831 shares of the company’s stock worth $527,000 after buying an additional 5,928 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its holdings in APA by 58.0% in the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 5,713 shares of the company’s stock worth $132,000 after buying an additional 2,098 shares during the last quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC acquired a new position in APA in the fourth quarter worth approximately $378,000. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its holdings in 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 buying an additional 12,077 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

APA Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ APA opened at $21.93 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $22.83 and a 200 day simple moving average of $25.07. 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 market capitalization of $8.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 3.16. APA Co. has a one year low of $20.32 and a one year high of $36.04.

APA Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 22nd will be paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 22nd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.56%. APA’s payout ratio is 14.12%.

Insider Activity at APA

In related news, Director Juliet S. Ellis acquired 4,391 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $22.78 per share, for a total transaction of $100,026.98. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 12,436 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $283,292.08. The trade was a 54.58 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APA has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on APA from $29.00 to $25.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Bernstein Bank decreased their target price on APA from $30.00 to $28.00 in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Barclays decreased their target price on APA from $30.00 to $27.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on APA from $25.00 to $22.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Mizuho decreased their target price on APA from $25.00 to $24.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Four equities research 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $30.65.

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.