Royal London Asset Management Ltd. Buys 35,716 Shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA)

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. raised its position in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA - Free Report) by 53.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 102,794 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 35,716 shares during the quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd.'s holdings in APA were worth $2,374,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in APA by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 77,110 shares of the company's stock worth $1,780,000 after purchasing an additional 469 shares during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of APA by 84.1% during the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,182 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 540 shares during the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of APA by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 138,991 shares of the company's stock worth $3,070,000 after acquiring an additional 544 shares during the period. Segment Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in APA by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 54,938 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,269,000 after acquiring an additional 571 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its holdings in APA by 77.9% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 1,338 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 586 shares during the last quarter. 83.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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APA Stock Up 0.2 %

APA stock traded up $0.05 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $20.89. 5,972,485 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,461,746. The company has a market capitalization of $7.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 3.26. The business's 50 day moving average is $21.90 and its 200 day moving average is $23.00. APA Co. has a 52 week low of $17.66 and a 52 week high of $36.05. 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 (NASDAQ:APA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.18). APA had a net margin of 24.36% and a return on equity of 27.86%. The firm had revenue of $2.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.31 billion. Analysts predict that APA Co. will post 4.03 earnings per share for the current year.

APA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be paid 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 4.79%. APA's payout ratio is presently 44.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on APA. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of APA from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of APA from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered APA from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $42.00 to $25.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $32.00 price objective on shares of APA in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on APA from $25.00 to $22.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $28.60.

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.