Zacks Research Issues Pessimistic Forecast for APA Earnings

APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research lowered their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of APA in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, March 11th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $0.36 for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.54. Zacks Research has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for APA’s current full-year earnings is $4.03 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for APA’s Q3 2026 earnings at $0.40 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $1.66 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.48 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.46 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.46 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.32 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $1.73 EPS.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last issued its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.89 billion. APA had a return on equity of 19.89% and a net margin of 15.55%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 26.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.79 earnings per share.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on APA. TD Cowen raised shares of APA to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Benchmark increased their price objective on shares of APA from $33.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of APA from $24.00 to $28.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of APA from $23.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Johnson Rice raised APA from a “hold” rating to an “accumulate” rating and increased their price target for the company from $35.00 to $40.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $30.08.

APA Price Performance

Shares of APA stock opened at $34.47 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $12.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.64, a PEG ratio of 18.11 and a beta of 0.67. APA has a 12 month low of $13.58 and a 12 month high of $34.59. 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 50-day moving average price of $27.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $25.34.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On APA

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of APA. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of APA by 76.9% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 7,171,963 shares of the company’s stock valued at $175,426,000 after buying an additional 3,117,032 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in APA by 157.1% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,060,135 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,970,000 after buying an additional 1,869,891 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in APA by 21.8% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,425,586 shares of the company’s stock worth $255,010,000 after acquiring an additional 1,864,900 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in APA by 13.6% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 14,030,230 shares of the company’s stock worth $340,657,000 after acquiring an additional 1,674,739 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in APA by 29.6% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 4,462,476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $108,349,000 after acquiring an additional 1,018,326 shares during the period. 83.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

APA Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 22nd. APA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.06%.

More APA News

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler raised its price target to $37 (neutral rating), signaling upside relative to recent levels and providing near-term buy-side support. Piper Sandler raises APA target
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs published a bullish forecast for APA, calling for strong price appreciation — this high-profile backing can lift investor sentiment. Goldman Sachs bullish on APA
• Positive Sentiment: RBC Capital raised its target to $29 and reiterated Sector Perform, citing oil strength and earnings momentum — another supportive institutional view. RBC raises APA target
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data showed zero shares outstanding for March (likely a data anomaly); it does not appear to be exerting real pressure or squeeze risk at present.
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays raised its target to $28 but maintained an “underweight” rating — the new target still sits below recent trading levels, which could cap upside and weigh on sentiment. Barclays adjusts APA price target
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research cut multiple near-term and medium-term EPS estimates (several quarters, FY2026–FY2027 and FY2028 revisions) and retains a “Hold” rating — broad downward revisions reduce forward earnings visibility and are a negative catalyst for valuation.

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.