APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) Shares Acquired by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) by 459.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 53,538 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 43,974 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in APA were worth $1,236,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its stake in shares of APA by 1,087.9% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 1,176 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 1,077 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co lifted its stake in shares of APA by 5,718.2% in the fourth quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 1,280 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 1,258 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its stake in shares of APA by 77.9% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 1,338 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 586 shares in the last quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of APA in the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in shares of APA by 93.5% in the fourth 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

APA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Raymond James cut 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 research note on Monday, March 10th. Scotiabank cut their price objective on APA from $26.00 to $14.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Susquehanna cut 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, April 22nd. Citigroup cut their price objective on APA from $20.00 to $15.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on APA from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $25.37.

APA Stock Down 1.6%

NASDAQ:APA opened at $18.17 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.57 billion, a PE ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.18. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $17.57 and a 200-day moving average of $20.81. APA Co. has a 52 week low of $13.58 and a 52 week high of $33.41. 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 (NASDAQ:APA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $2.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.17 billion. APA had a return on equity of 27.86% and a net margin of 24.36%. The business’s revenue was up 35.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.78 earnings per share. Analysts predict that APA Co. will post 4.03 EPS for the current year.

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.