Brokerages Set APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) PT at $30.65

Shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) have been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the nineteen analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $30.65.

APA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on APA from $29.00 to $25.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $32.00 price objective on shares of APA in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of APA from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $42.00 to $25.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of APA from $29.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on APA from $25.00 to $22.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 3rd.

APA Stock Performance

APA stock opened at $22.39 on Friday. APA has a 1-year low of $20.32 and a 1-year high of $36.04. The company’s 50-day moving average is $22.80 and its 200 day moving average is $24.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 3.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.24.

APA Announces Dividend

The company 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. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 22nd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.47%. APA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Juliet S. Ellis bought 4,391 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now owns 12,436 shares in the company, valued at approximately $283,292.08. This trade represents a 54.58 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Horizon Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of APA in the 4th quarter valued at $293,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in APA by 29.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,092,666 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,500,000 after purchasing an additional 929,770 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its holdings in shares of APA by 86.8% in the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 2,087 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 970 shares during the period. South Dakota Investment Council raised its stake in shares of APA by 96.6% in the fourth quarter. South Dakota Investment Council now owns 774,245 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,877,000 after purchasing an additional 380,510 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Howard Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of APA by 13.3% during the fourth quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 88,310 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,039,000 after purchasing an additional 10,394 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

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.