KLCM Advisors Inc. Purchases 115,249 Shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA)

KLCM Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA - Free Report) by 19.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 696,024 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 115,249 shares during the period. APA comprises approximately 1.9% of KLCM Advisors Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest position. KLCM Advisors Inc. owned about 0.19% of APA worth $16,071,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd raised its stake in APA by 31.5% during the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 1,125,270 shares of the company's stock worth $25,982,000 after acquiring an additional 269,855 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System increased its stake in shares of APA by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 400,409 shares of the company's stock worth $9,245,000 after purchasing an additional 28,664 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its position in shares of APA by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 10,762 shares of the company's stock valued at $248,000 after purchasing an additional 589 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of APA by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 138,991 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,070,000 after buying an additional 544 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in APA by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 77,110 shares of the company's stock worth $1,780,000 after buying an additional 469 shares during the period. 83.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

APA Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ APA traded up $0.02 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $23.61. 6,409,189 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,488,065. The company's 50 day moving average price is $22.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.30. APA Co. has a 12 month low of $20.32 and a 12 month high of $36.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 3.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03.

APA Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 4.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 22nd. APA's payout ratio is currently 14.12%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

APA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on APA from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $32.00 target price on shares of APA in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Truist Financial dropped their price target on APA from $36.00 to $33.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of APA from $25.00 to $22.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of APA from $29.00 to $25.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $30.65.

Insider Buying and Selling at APA

In other APA news, Director Juliet S. Ellis bought 4,391 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $22.78 per share, for a total transaction of $100,026.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 12,436 shares in the company, valued at $283,292.08. This trade represents a 54.58 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

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.