Research Analysts Offer Predictions for APA Q1 Earnings

APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA) – Analysts at Zacks Research boosted their Q1 2027 earnings per share estimates for APA in a research report issued on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will post earnings of $0.55 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.52. Zacks Research currently has a “Strong Sell” 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 Q2 2027 earnings at $0.54 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.48 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $2.12 EPS.

APA has been the subject of several other reports. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $35.00 target price on shares of APA in a research note on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of APA in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Barclays set a $24.00 target price on APA in a report on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on APA from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 17th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on APA from $26.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have given a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, APA has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $26.39.

APA Trading Down 3.7%

Shares of APA opened at $25.55 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $9.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 11.84 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. APA has a 1 year low of $13.58 and a 1 year high of $27.72. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $25.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $23.04.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.19. APA had a return on equity of 19.86% and a net margin of 15.49%.The firm had revenue of $2.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.00 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 16.4% on a year-over-year basis.

APA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 22nd will be paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 22nd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.9%. APA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.04%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On APA

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in APA. Howard Capital Management Inc. raised its position in APA by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 94,848 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,303,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares during the period. one8zero8 LLC grew its stake in shares of APA by 1.2% during the third quarter. one8zero8 LLC now owns 42,254 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,026,000 after buying an additional 488 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of APA by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 106,734 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,592,000 after acquiring an additional 517 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of APA by 19.6% during the 2nd quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,349 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 550 shares during the last quarter. Finally, O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. boosted its holdings in APA by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. now owns 30,093 shares of the company’s stock valued at $736,000 after acquiring an additional 555 shares during the period. 83.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

APA News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple near-term EPS estimates for APA (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4 and FY adjustments), signaling slightly stronger short-term earnings expectations despite an overall cautious outlook. (Zacks also retains a “Strong Sell” rating.)
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raised its price target from $21 to $22 (maintains a “hold”), a modest positive revision to consensus fair value expectations. Jefferies raises PT to $22
• Neutral Sentiment: Market previews and coverage continue ahead of upcoming earnings, offering background on what to watch (production, cash flow, cost control). This is informational but not an immediate directional catalyst. Earnings preview
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks downgraded APA from “Hold” to “Strong Sell,” increasing investor caution; the downgrade likely pressured sentiment even as some estimates were nudged higher. Zacks downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays reaffirmed an “Underweight” rating, reinforcing sell-side skepticism on the stock’s near-term outlook. Barclays underweight
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan trimmed its price target to $25 from $26 (keeps a “Neutral” rating); that cut contributed directly to downward pressure on the shares this session. JPMorgan lowers PT to $25
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs nudged its target to $23 from $21 but kept a “Sell” rating — a technical raise but still a negative stance (PT remains below the current market price). Goldman raises PT to $23, keeps sell
• Negative Sentiment: News coverage noted a near-term share decline following these analyst moves, highlighting that the string of cautious/negative analyst actions is the main driver of today’s weakness. Coverage of share drop after downgrade

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.