South Dakota Investment Council Has $1.37 Million Position in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA)

South Dakota Investment Council grew its position in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) by 5.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 38,303 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,900 shares during the quarter. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in APA were worth $1,374,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in APA during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Quent Capital LLC increased its position in APA by 64.0% during the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 961 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new position in APA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Tobam acquired a new position in APA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $52,000. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC acquired a new position in APA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $56,000. 83.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Roth Mkm upped their price objective on shares of APA from $37.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of APA from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Monday. Raymond James reduced their price objective on shares of APA from $44.00 to $43.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $45.00 price objective on shares of APA in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of APA from $59.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $42.25.

APA Stock Performance

APA opened at $32.05 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $32.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $34.52. APA Co. has a 1-year low of $29.47 and a 1-year high of $46.15. The company has a market cap of $9.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 3.27.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 22nd. The company reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.33 by ($0.18). APA had a return on equity of 62.64% and a net margin of 34.95%. The business had revenue of $2.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.48 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that APA Co. will post 5.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

APA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 19th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.12%. APA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 10.78%.

About APA

APA Corporation, an independent energy company, explores for, develops, and produces natural gas, crude oil, and natural gas liquids. It has oil and gas operations in the United States, Egypt, and North Sea. The company also has exploration and appraisal activities in Suriname, as well as holds interests in projects located in Uruguay and internationally.