APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) Stock Holdings Reduced by Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky decreased its holdings in shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA - Free Report) by 7.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 328,052 shares of the company's stock after selling 26,586 shares during the quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky owned approximately 0.09% of APA worth $7,574,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of APA. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in APA by 33.1% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,186,244 shares of the company's stock valued at $142,823,000 after purchasing an additional 1,540,055 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of APA by 29.4% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,092,666 shares of the company's stock valued at $94,500,000 after purchasing an additional 929,770 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of APA by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,886,087 shares of the company's stock valued at $297,540,000 after purchasing an additional 894,574 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in APA by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 13,230,751 shares of the company's stock worth $305,498,000 after purchasing an additional 850,052 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in APA in the 4th quarter valued at about $14,524,000. Institutional investors own 83.01% of the company's stock.

APA Stock Up 3.9 %

Shares of APA stock traded up $0.61 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $16.26. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,877,557 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,857,550. APA Co. has a 1-year low of $13.58 and a 1-year high of $33.41. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $5.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 2.74. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $18.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $21.68.

APA (NASDAQ:APA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.18). The business had revenue of $2.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.31 billion. APA had a return on equity of 27.86% and a net margin of 24.36%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that APA Co. will post 4.03 earnings per share for the current year.

APA Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 22nd. APA's payout ratio is presently 44.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on APA shares. Scotiabank dropped their price target on shares of APA from $26.00 to $14.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on APA from $25.00 to $23.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on APA from $27.00 to $24.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on APA from $31.00 to $30.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on APA from $25.00 to $19.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $25.79.

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.