APA (NASDAQ:APA) Given New $45.00 Price Target at Raymond James Financial

APA (NASDAQ:APA) had its price target hoisted by Raymond James Financial from $31.00 to $45.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the stock.

APA has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Truist Financial began coverage on shares of APA in a research report on Tuesday. They set a “hold” rating and a $38.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on APA from $22.00 to $26.00 in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Susquehanna upped their price target on APA from $32.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Roth Mkm raised their price objective on APA from $23.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on APA from $23.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $32.23.

APA Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:APA opened at $41.32 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $29.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.21. APA has a twelve month low of $13.58 and a twelve month high of $41.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.60 billion, a PE ratio of 10.36 and a beta of 0.67.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.62 by $0.29. APA had a net margin of 15.55% and a return on equity of 19.89%. The company had revenue of $1.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.89 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.79 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 26.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that APA will post 4.03 EPS for the current year.

APA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 22nd will be paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 22nd. APA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Matthew Regis Bob sold 23,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.23, for a total value of $833,290.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 6,634 shares in the company, valued at $240,349.82. The trade was a 77.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.69% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of APA

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its holdings in APA by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 106,667 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,609,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in APA by 39.2% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 185,873 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,547,000 after buying an additional 52,376 shares in the last quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in APA during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $244,000. Compound Planning Inc. raised its position in shares of APA by 45.5% during the fourth quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 15,173 shares of the company’s stock valued at $371,000 after buying an additional 4,744 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its position in shares of APA by 13.5% during the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 102,471 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,506,000 after buying an additional 12,211 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

More APA News

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: APA reported a new natural gas discovery in Egypt’s Western Desert, which could accelerate local production, lower lifting costs and support Egypt’s push to cut energy imports — a clear operational catalyst for future volumes and cash flow. APA’s New Gas Discovery Strengthens Egypt’s Energy Outlook Zacks: APA’s New Gas Discovery Strengthens Egypt’s Energy Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Raymond James bumped its price target to $45 and kept an “Outperform” rating, signaling stronger sell‑side conviction on APA’s earnings/cash‑flow trajectory. Raymond James adjusts price target on APA to $45
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage notes from Goldman‑linked commentary flagged upside potential, adding to bullish analyst chatter that supports momentum into the near term. APA Stock Price Expected to Rise, The Goldman Sachs Group Analyst Says
• Positive Sentiment: Reported short‑interest has declined from prior levels (29.7M shares, ~8.5% of float as of March 13), reducing one potential headwind and lowering the risk of short‑driven volatility. (Data summary from recent short‑interest reports.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Barclays moved APA to Equal Weight — an upgrade that narrows downside risk vs. prior view but is not an outright buy signal. Barclays Upgrades APA to Equal Weight
• Neutral Sentiment: Evercore raised its price target to $40 but left an in‑line/neutral rating, reflecting higher valuation assumptions but guarded expectations about near‑term upside. Evercore adjusts APA price target to $40
• Neutral Sentiment: Truist initiated coverage with a Hold and a $38 target, adding a cautious voice that could temper upside from bullish calls. Truist initiates coverage of APA with Hold
• Neutral Sentiment: Some short‑interest data feeds showed inconsistent zero values (likely reporting glitches); treat those as noisy — rely on confirmed filings for position sizing and risk.
• Negative Sentiment: Separately, valuation caution articles ask whether recent multi‑year gains already price in APA’s upside — a reminder that stretched multiples or expectations could lead to pullbacks if execution or commodity prices disappoint. Is It Too Late To Consider APA After Its Strong Multi‑Year Share Price Run?

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.