APA (NASDAQ:APA) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of APA (NASDAQ:APA) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Thursday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of APA in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Wolfe Research lifted their target price on shares of APA from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of APA from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of APA from $23.00 to $21.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of APA from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $27.39.

APA Trading Up 4.4%

APA stock opened at $30.37 on Thursday. APA has a 12 month low of $13.58 and a 12 month high of $30.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock has a market cap of $10.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.61, a P/E/G ratio of 13.88 and a beta of 0.74. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $26.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.56.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.62 by $0.29. APA had a return on equity of 20.08% and a net margin of 15.55%.The business had revenue of $1.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.89 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.79 earnings per share. APA’s quarterly revenue was down 26.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that APA will post 4.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

APA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 22nd will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 22nd. APA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.06%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On APA

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators increased its stake in shares of APA by 276.7% in the third quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,213 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 891 shares during the period. Summit Securities Group LLC increased its position in APA by 115.1% in the 4th quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 1,327 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 710 shares during the period. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new position in shares of APA during the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Camelot Portfolios LLC acquired a new position in shares of APA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Spire Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of APA by 179.6% in the third quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,521 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 977 shares during the period. 83.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting APA

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results and free cash flow beat — APA reported better‑than‑expected EPS and revenue and highlighted robust free cash flow and disciplined capital allocation, supporting the rally. APA beats quarterly profit estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic capital plan & cost savings — Management signaled a $2.1B 2026 capital plan and is targeting roughly $450M in annual cost savings, which improves free cash flow outlook and supports share gains. APA signals $2.1B capital plan
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish analyst move — Wolfe Research raised its price target to $39 and kept an “outperform” rating, implying material upside and likely helping buying interest. Wolfe raises PT to $39
• Neutral Sentiment: Major bank neutral adjustments — Roth MKM and JPMorgan raised targets to $27 and $29 respectively but maintained neutral ratings, narrowing upside and signaling mixed conviction. Roth raises PT to $27 JPMorgan raises PT to $29
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts still see downside — Mizuho and Evercore raised price targets but keep below‑current valuations (to $24 and $25) with underperform/in‑line stances, which likely caps gains for investors focused on downside risk. Mizuho adjusts PT to $24 Evercore adjusts PT to $25

APA Company Profile

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.