APA (NASDAQ:APA) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Piper Sandler Analyst Says

APA (NASDAQ:APA) had its price objective upped by research analysts at Piper Sandler from $30.00 to $37.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. Piper Sandler’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 7.34% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Susquehanna upped their price target on APA from $32.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Capital One Financial lifted their price objective on shares of APA from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of APA from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Evercore upped their target price on shares of APA from $21.00 to $25.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on shares of APA from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Seven equities 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $30.08.

APA Trading Up 2.6%

Shares of APA opened at $34.47 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $27.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $25.34. The stock has a market cap of $12.18 billion, a PE ratio of 8.64, a P/E/G ratio of 18.11 and a beta of 0.67. APA has a 12 month low of $13.58 and a 12 month high of $34.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.29. APA had a return on equity of 19.89% and a net margin of 15.55%.The business had revenue of $1.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.89 billion. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 26.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.79 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that APA will post 4.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On APA

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

Key APA News

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler raised its price target to $37 (neutral rating), signaling upside relative to recent levels and providing near-term buy-side support. Piper Sandler raises APA target
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs published a bullish forecast for APA, calling for strong price appreciation — this high-profile backing can lift investor sentiment. Goldman Sachs bullish on APA
• Positive Sentiment: RBC Capital raised its target to $29 and reiterated Sector Perform, citing oil strength and earnings momentum — another supportive institutional view. RBC raises APA target
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data showed zero shares outstanding for March (likely a data anomaly); it does not appear to be exerting real pressure or squeeze risk at present.
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays raised its target to $28 but maintained an “underweight” rating — the new target still sits below recent trading levels, which could cap upside and weigh on sentiment. Barclays adjusts APA price target
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research cut multiple near-term and medium-term EPS estimates (several quarters, FY2026–FY2027 and FY2028 revisions) and retains a “Hold” rating — broad downward revisions reduce forward earnings visibility and are a negative catalyst for valuation.

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.