APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) Shares Sold by Wedge Capital Management L L P NC

Wedge Capital Management L L P NC decreased its holdings in shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) by 11.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 360,695 shares of the company’s stock after selling 45,729 shares during the quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC owned about 0.10% of APA worth $8,328,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in APA. Harris Associates L P boosted its stake in APA by 20.8% in the 3rd quarter. Harris Associates L P now owns 24,914,700 shares of the company’s stock worth $609,414,000 after buying an additional 4,293,932 shares during the last quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of APA by 12.6% in the third quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 30,471,834 shares of the company’s stock worth $745,341,000 after acquiring an additional 3,411,270 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in APA by 131.7% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,813,655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,704,000 after purchasing an additional 2,736,041 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC grew its holdings in APA by 3,450.8% in the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 985,907 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,115,000 after purchasing an additional 958,141 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in APA by 112.6% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,448,935 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,092,000 after purchasing an additional 767,557 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other APA news, Director Juliet S. Ellis acquired 4,391 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 12,436 shares in the company, valued at $283,292.08. This trade represents a 54.58 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

APA Trading Down 3.0 %

APA opened at $24.40 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.03 billion, a PE ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 3.16. 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 Co. has a 12-month low of $20.32 and a 12-month high of $36.04. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $22.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $25.52.

APA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 22nd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.10%. APA’s payout ratio is 14.12%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on APA shares. Mizuho dropped their price objective on APA from $25.00 to $24.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $32.00 price target on shares of APA in a research note on Wednesday. Bernstein Bank reduced their price objective on APA from $30.00 to $28.00 in a research note on Friday, October 18th. 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. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of APA from $52.00 to $48.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $30.55.

About APA

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.