Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Buys 111,698 Shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA)

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd boosted its position in shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA - Free Report) by 56.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 309,983 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 111,698 shares during the quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd owned approximately 0.08% of APA worth $6,933,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of APA. OLD National Bancorp IN boosted its stake in shares of APA by 20.9% during the fourth quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 254,254 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,871,000 after acquiring an additional 44,024 shares during the last quarter. Abel Hall LLC purchased a new stake in APA in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $239,000. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised its position in shares of APA by 175.8% in the 4th quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft now owns 23,500 shares of the company's stock worth $543,000 after buying an additional 14,980 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of APA by 22.2% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 74,138 shares of the company's stock worth $1,712,000 after purchasing an additional 13,487 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of APA by 95.1% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,035 shares of the company's stock valued at $123,000 after purchasing an additional 2,454 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.01% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on APA shares. Raymond James raised their price target on shares of APA from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded APA from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $42.00 to $25.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on APA from $25.00 to $22.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Bernstein Bank dropped their target price on APA from $30.00 to $28.00 in a report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price target on APA from $25.00 to $24.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, APA currently has an average 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 that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $22.78 per share, with a total value of $100,026.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 12,436 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $283,292.08. This trade represents a 54.58 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

APA Price Performance

Shares of APA stock traded up $0.91 on Tuesday, hitting $22.38. The company had a trading volume of 3,501,407 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,509,603. APA Co. has a 52 week low of $20.32 and a 52 week high of $36.04. The company has a market cap of $8.28 billion, a PE ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 3.15. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $22.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $24.94. 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 Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 22nd will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 22nd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.47%. APA's dividend payout ratio is currently 14.12%.

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.