APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA) Short Interest Update

APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA) saw a large decrease in short interest during the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 29,748,050 shares, a decrease of 13.9% from the February 26th total of 34,534,176 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 9,421,639 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.2 days. Currently, 8.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on APA shares. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of APA from $25.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of APA from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Raymond James Financial lifted their price target on shares of APA from $31.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Benchmark upped their price target on APA from $33.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded APA from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, APA has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $35.38.

APA Price Performance

APA stock opened at $41.35 on Thursday. APA has a one year low of $13.58 and a one year high of $45.66. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $31.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $26.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.61 billion, a PE ratio of 10.36 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.89 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.79 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 26.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that APA will post 4.03 earnings per share for the current year.

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 dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 22nd. APA’s payout ratio is 25.06%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Matthew Regis Bob sold 23,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.23, for a total transaction of $833,290.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 6,634 shares in the company, valued at approximately $240,349.82. This trade represents a 77.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.69% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of APA

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of APA. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in APA by 869.7% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 194,418 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,872,000 after buying an additional 174,369 shares during the period. United Capital Management of KS Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of APA during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,214,000. Prudential Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of APA by 38.8% during the 2nd quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 284,275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,199,000 after acquiring an additional 79,451 shares in the last quarter. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of APA during the 3rd quarter valued at $2,337,000. Finally, AE Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of APA by 2,049.4% in the third quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 403,511 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,797,000 after acquiring an additional 384,738 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

More APA News

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Renewed investor interest in APA’s large, low?cost Suriname Block 58 and the company’s digital/workforce technology push — a longer?term production and margin story that can support higher future cash flows. How APA’s Suriname Block 58 Focus and Digital Push At APA (APA) Has Changed Its Investment Story
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple Zacks Research upgrades to near?term and FY2026–FY2028 EPS estimates show analysts nudging earnings forecasts higher, which supports the company’s fundamental outlook (Zacks maintains a Hold).
• Positive Sentiment: Stephens sharply raised its price target from $24 to $45 while keeping an Equal Weight rating — a clear vote of confidence that can attract buyers and help limit downside. Stephens adjusts price target on APA to $45
• Positive Sentiment: APA’s renewable/solar arm is expanding manufacturing capacity in Northwest Ohio — a diversification effort that can provide optionality beyond upstream oil & gas. APA Solar expands manufacturing campus in Northwest Ohio
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and liquidity context: APA’s P/E (~10.4) and improved trailing profitability (reported EPS beats last quarter) keep the stock in investors’ value/energy rotation despite volatility; median analyst target remains below current levels, reflecting mixed views.
• Negative Sentiment: Commodity shock: oil prices eased toward ~$100/bbl on hopes the Iran war could wind down, removing a recent “war premium.” That direct drop in crude undercuts realized pricing and near?term free cash flow for APA and was the dominant proximate cause of today’s weakness. APA slides as crude oil pulls back
• Negative Sentiment: Selling pressure risks: recent insider and large institutional reductions (notable funds trimmed positions) plus a cluster of Underweight/Sell analyst ratings increase downside risk if oil prices normalize — these flows can amplify down?oil trading days. Institutional & insider activity and analyst coverage

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.