APA (NASDAQ:APA) Upgraded by Zacks Research to Hold Rating

Zacks Research upgraded shares of APA (NASDAQ:APA) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Thursday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on APA. UBS Group boosted their price target on APA from $26.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Roth Mkm lifted their price objective on shares of APA from $23.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of APA from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Wolfe Research boosted their price target on shares of APA from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of APA from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Seven 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, APA has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $27.39.

APA Stock Performance

APA stock traded up $1.27 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $30.37. 8,704,381 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,744,535. APA has a fifty-two week low of $13.58 and a fifty-two week high of $30.42. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm has a market cap of $10.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.61, a PEG ratio of 13.30 and a beta of 0.74. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $26.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $24.53.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.89 billion. APA had a return on equity of 20.08% and a net margin of 15.55%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 26.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.79 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that APA will post 4.03 earnings per share for the current year.

APA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 22nd will be paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 22nd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. APA’s payout ratio is currently 25.06%.

Institutional Trading of APA

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators grew its holdings in shares of APA by 276.7% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC lifted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 710 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new stake in APA during the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Spire Wealth Management grew its stake in APA by 179.6% during the 3rd quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,521 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 977 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Camelot Portfolios LLC acquired a new position in shares of APA in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. 83.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting APA

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results and free cash flow beat — APA reported better?than?expected EPS and revenue and highlighted robust free cash flow and disciplined capital allocation, supporting the rally. APA beats quarterly profit estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic capital plan & cost savings — Management signaled a $2.1B 2026 capital plan and is targeting roughly $450M in annual cost savings, which improves free cash flow outlook and supports share gains. APA signals $2.1B capital plan
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish analyst move — Wolfe Research raised its price target to $39 and kept an “outperform” rating, implying material upside and likely helping buying interest. Wolfe raises PT to $39
• Neutral Sentiment: Major bank neutral adjustments — Roth MKM and JPMorgan raised targets to $27 and $29 respectively but maintained neutral ratings, narrowing upside and signaling mixed conviction. Roth raises PT to $27 JPMorgan raises PT to $29
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts still see downside — Mizuho and Evercore raised price targets but keep below?current valuations (to $24 and $25) with underperform/in?line stances, which likely caps gains for investors focused on downside risk. Mizuho adjusts PT to $24 Evercore adjusts PT to $25

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.