Blue Trust Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA)

Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) by 95.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,035 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,454 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in APA were worth $123,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Truist Financial Corp raised its holdings in APA by 44.0% during the 2nd quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 38,710 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,140,000 after buying an additional 11,827 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in shares of APA by 160.1% in the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 75,593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,225,000 after acquiring an additional 46,535 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of APA during the second quarter valued at about $308,000. Czech National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of APA by 9.8% during the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 75,353 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,843,000 after purchasing an additional 6,740 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of APA by 42.8% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,081 shares of the company’s stock worth $124,000 after purchasing an additional 1,523 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Juliet S. Ellis bought 4,391 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost 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 approximately $283,292.08. This represents a 54.58 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

APA Stock Performance

APA stock opened at $21.64 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.01 billion, a PE ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 3.15. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $22.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $24.84. APA Co. has a 12-month low of $20.32 and a 12-month high of $36.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03.

APA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.62%. APA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APA has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $32.00 price target on shares of APA in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Mizuho dropped their price target on APA from $25.00 to $24.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Bernstein Bank cut their price target on shares of APA from $30.00 to $28.00 in a report on Friday, October 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of APA from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $42.00 to $25.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on shares of APA from $29.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. 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 stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $30.65.

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.