Stephens Issues Positive Forecast for APA (NASDAQ:APA) Stock Price

APA (NASDAQ:APA) had its price target upped by Stephens from $24.00 to $45.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the stock.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Johnson Rice raised APA from a “hold” rating to an “accumulate” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $35.00 to $40.00 in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Truist Financial began coverage on shares of APA in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $38.00 target price on the stock. Roth Mkm boosted their price target on shares of APA from $23.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Scotiabank upgraded shares of APA to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of APA from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $35.38.

APA Price Performance

APA opened at $42.44 on Tuesday. APA has a one year low of $13.58 and a one year high of $45.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $31.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $26.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.64 and a beta of 0.67.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $1.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.89 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.79 EPS. APA’s revenue was down 26.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that APA will post 4.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

APA Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 22nd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. APA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.06%.

Insider Activity at APA

In related news, Director Matthew Regis Bob sold 23,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.23, for a total transaction of $833,290.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 6,634 shares in the company, valued at $240,349.82. This trade represents a 77.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On APA

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of APA. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of APA by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 106,667 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,609,000 after buying an additional 375 shares during the period. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of APA by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 28,171 shares of the company’s stock valued at $689,000 after acquiring an additional 396 shares during the period. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC raised its holdings in shares of APA by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 14,648 shares of the company’s stock valued at $358,000 after purchasing an additional 461 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in APA by 0.5% in the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 94,848 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,303,000 after acquiring an additional 485 shares in the last quarter. Finally, one8zero8 LLC lifted its holdings in shares of APA by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. one8zero8 LLC now owns 42,254 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,026,000 after purchasing an additional 488 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

APA News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Stephens raised its price target to $45 (from $24) and kept an “equal weight” rating — a meaningful upward revision that signals improved analyst conviction on valuation. Stephens adjusts price target on APA
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup also lifted its price target to $45 (from $25) while keeping a “neutral” rating — another upward target re-rate that supports upside consensus near the mid-$40s. Citigroup raises APA price target
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research nudged its FY2028 EPS estimate slightly higher to $2.69 (from $2.64), a small fundamental upgrade to forward earnings assumptions (Zacks maintains a “Hold”).
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple bullish independent write-ups and summaries (Yahoo, MSN, InsiderMonkey) are circulating analyses arguing for APA’s investment case — these can attract longer-term investors but may not move price immediately. Is APA a good stock to buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: News that APA Solar is expanding a manufacturing campus in Northwest Ohio is positive for that business line but appears peripheral to APA Corporation’s core oil & gas operations; impact on APA Corp. is uncertain. APA Solar expands manufacturing campus
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks published that “APA stock sinks as market gains” — the headline and coverage indicate the stock declined today despite analyst target upgrades, suggesting profit-taking, short-term rotation, or sector-level forces outweighed positive fundamental/target revisions. APA Stock Sinks As Market Gains

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.