Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. Raises Stock Holdings in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA)

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) by 24.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 308,112 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 60,245 shares during the quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. owned about 0.08% of APA worth $6,806,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Truist Financial Corp boosted its holdings in shares of APA by 44.0% during the second quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 38,710 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,140,000 after purchasing an additional 11,827 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in APA by 160.1% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 75,593 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,225,000 after buying an additional 46,535 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in APA in the 2nd quarter worth about $308,000. Czech National Bank grew its holdings in APA by 9.8% in the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 75,353 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,843,000 after buying an additional 6,740 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of APA by 42.8% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,081 shares of the company’s stock valued at $124,000 after acquiring an additional 1,523 shares during the last quarter. 83.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at APA

In other 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 cost 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 represents a 54.58 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

APA Trading Up 0.1 %

NASDAQ:APA opened at $21.67 on Friday. APA Co. has a one year low of $20.32 and a one year high of $36.04. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $22.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $24.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.24. The stock has a market cap of $8.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 3.15.

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 dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 22nd. APA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on APA. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $32.00 target price on shares of APA in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Raymond James boosted their price objective on shares of APA from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered APA from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $42.00 to $25.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on APA from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on APA from $30.00 to $27.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 8th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $30.65.

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.