Gamco Investors INC. ET AL Buys 44,937 Shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA)

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL boosted its position in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA - Free Report) by 8.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 608,381 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 44,937 shares during the quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL owned about 0.16% of APA worth $14,048,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in APA by 29.4% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,092,666 shares of the company's stock worth $94,500,000 after buying an additional 929,770 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of APA by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,886,087 shares of the company's stock valued at $297,540,000 after acquiring an additional 894,574 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of APA by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 13,230,751 shares of the company's stock worth $305,498,000 after acquiring an additional 850,052 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of APA in the fourth quarter worth approximately $14,524,000. Finally, South Dakota Investment Council grew its holdings in APA by 96.6% in the fourth quarter. South Dakota Investment Council now owns 774,245 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,877,000 after purchasing an additional 380,510 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.01% of the company's stock.

APA Stock Performance

Shares of APA traded up $0.75 on Friday, reaching $16.12. 7,366,161 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,791,856. The firm has a market cap of $5.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 2.74. APA Co. has a 12 month low of $13.58 and a 12 month high of $33.41. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $19.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $21.98. 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 (NASDAQ:APA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.18). The business had revenue of $2.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.31 billion. APA had a net margin of 24.36% and a return on equity of 27.86%. Equities analysts forecast that APA Co. will post 4.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

APA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.20%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 22nd. APA's payout ratio is presently 44.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on APA shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on APA from $25.00 to $23.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of APA from $20.00 to $15.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley set a $20.00 price target on shares of APA and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "sell" rating and issued a $23.00 price objective on shares of APA in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Scotiabank dropped their target price on shares of APA from $26.00 to $14.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $26.21.

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.