APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the nineteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have issued a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $28.60.

Several research firms recently weighed in on APA. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of APA from $24.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 17th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $32.00 price target on shares of APA in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Raymond James cut shares of APA from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $45.00 to $32.00 in a report on Monday, March 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of APA from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $42.00 to $25.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on shares of APA from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 18th.

APA Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ APA opened at $20.61 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 3.26. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $21.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $23.04. APA has a 1 year low of $17.66 and a 1 year high of $36.05. 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 (NASDAQ:APA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.18). APA had a net margin of 24.36% and a return on equity of 27.86%. The business had revenue of $2.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.31 billion. On average, equities research analysts forecast that APA will post 4.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

APA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 22nd. APA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.25%.

Institutional Trading of APA

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of APA. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its stake in APA by 22.8% during the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 65,071 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,503,000 after acquiring an additional 12,077 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its stake in APA by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 47,719 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,102,000 after acquiring an additional 1,010 shares in the last quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft grew its stake in APA by 175.8% during the fourth quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft now owns 23,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $543,000 after acquiring an additional 14,980 shares in the last quarter. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in APA during the third quarter valued at approximately $7,238,000. Finally, PVG Asset Management Corp purchased a new position in APA during the third quarter valued at approximately $757,000. Institutional investors own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

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.