APA Co. Announces Quarterly Dividend of $0.25 (NASDAQ:APA)

APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA - Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, February 6th,RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be given a dividend of 0.25 per share on Thursday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.35%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 22nd.

APA has raised its dividend payment by an average of 61.5% per year over the last three years. APA has a dividend payout ratio of 29.4% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect APA to earn $3.63 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.00 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 27.5%.

APA Stock Performance

Shares of APA stock traded up $1.32 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $22.99. 5,782,548 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,383,102. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.51 billion, a PE ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 3.15. APA has a 12 month low of $20.32 and a 12 month high of $36.04. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $22.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $24.63.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

APA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on APA from $25.00 to $22.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of APA from $25.00 to $24.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $32.00 price target on shares of APA in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on shares of APA from $52.00 to $48.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of APA from $30.00 to $27.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $30.65.

Insider Activity at APA

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

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.