Zacks Research Has Positive Forecast for APA FY2025 Earnings

APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at Zacks Research increased their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for APA in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, January 22nd. Zacks Research analyst N. Choudhury now forecasts that the company will earn $2.59 per share for the year, up from their prior estimate of $2.57. The consensus estimate for APA's current full-year earnings is $4.08 per share.

Several other analysts have also commented on APA. UBS Group dropped their target price on APA from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of APA from $25.00 to $22.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of APA from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $42.00 to $25.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Raymond James lifted their target price on shares of APA from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Scotiabank decreased their price target on shares of APA from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, APA presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $30.65.

APA Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ APA traded up $0.06 during trading on Monday, reaching $23.38. 6,907,658 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,503,641. The stock has a market cap of $8.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 3.16. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $22.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $25.26. 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 has a 12-month low of $20.32 and a 12-month high of $36.04.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On APA

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in APA. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew 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 buying an additional 540 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings in APA by 93.5% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,614 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 780 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank grew its holdings in APA by 48.8% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,710 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 561 shares in the last quarter. Eastern Bank increased its position in shares of APA by 355.0% in the 4th quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 2,275 shares of the company's stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 1,775 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of APA by 164.2% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,581 shares of the company's stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 1,604 shares in the last quarter. 83.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 stock was purchased at an average price of $22.78 per share, with a total value of $100,026.98. Following 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 acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

APA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 22nd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.28%. 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.