APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the twenty-seven research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $26.3913.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on APA shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of APA from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on APA from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, November 17th. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $35.00 target price on shares of APA in a research report on Wednesday. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $31.00 target price on shares of APA in a report on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on APA from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th.

APA Trading Down 3.7%

Shares of APA stock opened at $25.55 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $25.04 and a 200-day moving average of $23.04. APA has a 52-week low of $13.58 and a 52-week high of $27.72. The stock has a market cap of $9.06 billion, a PE ratio of 6.14, a PEG ratio of 11.84 and a beta of 0.74.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $2.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.06 billion. APA had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 19.86%. The business’s revenue was down 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.00 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that APA will post 4.03 EPS for the current year.

APA Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 22nd. APA’s dividend payout ratio is 24.04%.

More APA News

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raised its price target on APA to $22 (from $21) and kept a “hold” rating — a modest positive signal that trims downside versus prior forecasts. Jefferies PT raise
• Positive Sentiment: The Goldman Sachs team bumped its price target to $23 (from $21) even while retaining a “sell” rating — the higher target is marginally supportive of the share price versus the prior forecast. Goldman Sachs PT raise
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks updated short-term quarterly estimates (small increases to some Q3/Q4 items), indicating analysts are still refining near-term forecasts rather than cutting them uniformly. Zacks estimates update
• Neutral Sentiment: Pre-earnings previews (Yahoo Finance, Barchart) note consensus expects a double-digit earnings contraction for APA in the upcoming quarter — this sets a lower bar for the quarter but is informational until results are released. Yahoo earnings preview Barchart earnings preview
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks downgraded APA from “hold” to a “strong sell” — a substantive negative rating change that increases selling pressure and signals low analyst conviction. Zacks downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays reaffirmed an underweight/negative stance on APA, contributing to the sell-side consensus pressure. Barclays downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan trimmed its price target to $25 (from $26) and kept a “neutral” rating — a small but incremental cut that removes upside and signals caution. JPMorgan PT cut

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Apollon Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of APA by 95.4% in the 4th quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 18,868 shares of the company’s stock valued at $462,000 after purchasing an additional 9,213 shares in the last quarter. Foundation Resource Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of APA by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Foundation Resource Management Inc. now owns 244,242 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,974,000 after buying an additional 14,779 shares during the last quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in APA by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 21,405 shares of the company’s stock valued at $524,000 after buying an additional 1,353 shares in the last quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. grew its position in APA by 7.9% in the fourth quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 9,240 shares of the company’s stock valued at $224,000 after acquiring an additional 680 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in APA by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 13,695 shares of the company’s stock worth $335,000 after acquiring an additional 1,077 shares in the last quarter. 83.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About APA

APA Corporation (NASDAQ: APA) is an independent exploration and production company engaged in the acquisition, development and production of oil and natural gas resources. The company operates through three core regions: the United States, Egypt and the North Sea. Through its integrated approach, APA combines geological and geophysical expertise with technical innovation to identify and develop hydrocarbons in both onshore and offshore settings.

In the United States, APA’s largest position is in the Permian Basin of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico, where it holds substantial acreage dedicated to oil-focused drilling and production.