Analysts Set APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) Target Price at $30.65

Shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the nineteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have given a hold recommendation, four have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $30.65.

Several brokerages recently weighed in on APA. Susquehanna decreased their price target on APA from $52.00 to $48.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 18th. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on APA from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on APA from $25.00 to $24.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Scotiabank reduced their price target on APA from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on APA from $29.00 to $24.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th.

APA Stock Performance

APA traded down $0.20 during trading on Friday, reaching $22.19. 4,278,333 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,524,153. 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 capitalization of $8.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 3.15. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $22.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.88. APA has a 1 year low of $20.32 and a 1 year high of $36.04.

APA Dividend Announcement

The business 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 4.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 22nd. APA's payout ratio is 14.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Juliet S. Ellis purchased 4,391 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $22.78 per share, with a total value of $100,026.98. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 12,436 shares in the company, valued at $283,292.08. This represents a 54.58 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its stake in APA by 84.1% during the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,182 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 540 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its holdings in APA by 77.9% in the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 1,338 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 586 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings in shares of APA by 93.5% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,614 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 780 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank raised its position in APA by 48.8% in the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,710 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 561 shares during the period. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC increased its position in shares of APA by 86.8% during the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 2,087 shares of the company's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 970 shares during the period. 83.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.