APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Hold" by the nineteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have assigned a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $28.60.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on APA from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Susquehanna reduced their price target on APA from $33.00 to $31.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Raymond James lowered APA from a "strong-buy" rating to an "outperform" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $45.00 to $32.00 in a report on Monday, March 10th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of APA from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on APA from $24.00 to $20.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 17th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in APA. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its position in APA by 1,087.9% during the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 1,176 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,077 shares during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in APA by 84.1% in the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,182 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 540 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co increased its position in APA by 5,718.2% during the fourth quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 1,280 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 1,258 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its holdings in APA by 77.9% during the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 1,338 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 586 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of APA during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.01% of the company's stock.

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APA Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:APA traded up $0.12 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $20.96. 1,780,677 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,474,516. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $21.90 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $23.00. APA has a fifty-two week low of $17.66 and a fifty-two week high of $36.05. 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 has a market cap of $7.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 3.26.

APA (NASDAQ:APA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.18). APA had a net margin of 24.36% and a return on equity of 27.86%. The company had revenue of $2.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.31 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that APA will post 4.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

APA Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 22nd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.77%. APA's dividend payout ratio is currently 44.25%.

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.