APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) Shares Sold by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. lowered its stake in shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA - Free Report) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 48,620,489 shares of the company's stock after selling 274,880 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 13.14% of APA worth $1,122,647,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APA. TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of APA by 84.1% during the 3rd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,182 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 540 shares during the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co grew its stake in shares of APA by 5,718.2% in the 4th quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 1,280 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 1,258 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its holdings in shares of APA by 77.9% during 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 last quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of APA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position 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 buying an additional 780 shares during the period. 83.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on APA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on APA from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Raymond James lowered shares of APA from a "strong-buy" rating to an "outperform" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $45.00 to $32.00 in a report on Monday, March 10th. Morgan Stanley set a $22.00 price target on shares of APA and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $32.00 price objective on shares of APA in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of APA from $25.00 to $23.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $28.25.

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APA Stock Down 0.3 %

NASDAQ APA traded down $0.06 on Wednesday, hitting $21.07. 812,029 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,452,690. APA Co. has a fifty-two week low of $17.66 and a fifty-two week high of $36.05. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $21.46 and a 200-day moving average price of $22.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The company has a market cap of $7.67 billion, a PE ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 3.26.

APA (NASDAQ:APA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.18). APA had a return on equity of 27.86% and a net margin of 24.36%. The firm had revenue of $2.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.31 billion. Sell-side analysts anticipate that APA Co. will post 4.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

APA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 22nd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.75%. APA's payout ratio is currently 44.25%.

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.