JPMorgan Chase & Co. Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for APA (NASDAQ:APA) Stock

APA (NASDAQ:APA) had its target price increased by equities research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $29.00 to $38.00 in a report issued on Friday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price target points to a potential downside of 2.84% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research analysts have also commented on the company. Mizuho raised their price objective on APA from $24.00 to $29.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of APA in a report on Monday, December 29th. Stephens boosted their price target on APA from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on APA from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen raised shares of APA to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, APA currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $30.52.

APA Trading Up 2.8%

Shares of APA stock opened at $39.11 on Friday. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $13.58 and a fifty-two week high of $39.52. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $29.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $25.84. The stock has a market cap of $13.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 17.30 and a beta of 0.67.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last released 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. The company had revenue of $1.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.89 billion. APA had a net margin of 15.55% and a return on equity of 19.89%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 26.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.79 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that APA will post 4.03 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at APA

In related news, Director Matthew Regis Bob sold 23,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director directly owned 6,634 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $240,349.82. This represents a 77.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.69% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of APA

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

APA News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Crude-driven rally lifted APA’s shares as Middle East supply concerns pushed oil prices higher, which typically increases exploration & production firms’ near-term cash‑flow expectations and valuation leverage. APA gains as crude oil jumps on renewed Middle East supply fears
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target on APA to $38 (from $29) while keeping a “neutral” rating — the PT increase signals improved analyst near-term valuation (even though the firm remains cautious). MarketScreener
• Neutral Sentiment: Mizuho and a separate note reported modest upward adjustments to APA’s targets (Mizuho to $29; another report to $27). These lifts are supportive but still sit below some investor expectations and the current trading level. APA Price Target Raised to $27.00 Mizuho Boosts APA Price Target to $29.00
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data in the latest print appear anomalous (reported as 0 shares / 0.0 days), suggesting a data or reporting issue rather than a material change in short positioning; treat this item cautiously.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Director Matthew Regis Bob sold 23,000 shares at an average $36.23 (≈$833k), reducing his holdings by ~77.6% — an outsized insider sale that can weigh on sentiment. SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: QuiverQuant’s summary notes sizable historical institutional reductions (e.g., Harris Associates, UBS AM, Blackstone) from recent quarters — large past selling by major holders can cap rallies and increase volatility. QuiverQuant institutional holdings

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.