APA (NASDAQ:APA) Stock Price Expected to Rise, UBS Group Analyst Says

APA (NASDAQ:APA) had its price target boosted by stock analysts at UBS Group from $44.00 to $45.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. UBS Group’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 25.91% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on APA. TD Cowen raised shares of APA to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of APA in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of APA from $45.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of APA from $29.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of APA from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $35.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $38.65.

APA Stock Down 5.7%

Shares of NASDAQ APA opened at $35.74 on Friday. APA has a 52-week low of $15.15 and a 52-week high of $45.66. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $34.86 and a 200-day moving average of $28.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.63 billion, a PE ratio of 8.96 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61.

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, 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 analysts’ expectations of $1.89 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.79 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 26.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that APA will post 4.03 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at APA

In other APA news, Director Matthew Regis Bob sold 23,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.23, for a total value of $833,290.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 6,634 shares in the company, valued at $240,349.82. This represents a 77.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.69% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of APA. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators grew its stake in APA by 276.7% in the 3rd quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,213 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 891 shares during the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC grew 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 purchasing an additional 710 shares during the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new stake in APA in the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Spire Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of APA by 179.6% during the 3rd quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,521 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 977 shares during the period. Finally, Camelot Portfolios LLC bought a new position in shares of APA during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Institutional investors own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about APA

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Capital One cut its price target slightly to $50 (from $51) but kept an “overweight” rating — this signals continued bullish conviction and still implies ~40% upside from current levels. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target to $45 (from $44) while staying neutral — a modestly firmer target that supports buyer interest above recent prices. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: AmericanBankingNews posted a $37 price-target update — a small upward revision that implies only modest upside and is unlikely to dramatically change sentiment by itself. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts expect APA’s Q1 results to show a single‑digit profit dip; upcoming earnings can increase volatility but the consensus view is for only a modest decline. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Citigroup cut its price target to $40 from $45 and that downgrade precipitated a gap-down opening — this is the most direct driver of today’s decline as it prompted immediate selling. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/sector pressure: reports that the Strait of Hormuz has reopened to commercial traffic have weighed on oil-related names broadly, reducing near-term oil supply-risk premiums and pressuring exploration stocks like APA. Read More.

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.