APA (NASDAQ:APA) Shares Gap Up – Time to Buy?

APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA) gapped up prior to trading on Thursday. The stock had previously closed at $43.81, but opened at $45.15. APA shares last traded at $45.4090, with a volume of 392,828 shares changing hands.

Key Headlines Impacting APA

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: APA reported estimated third-quarter realized oil prices of $87.50 per barrel in the U.S. and $98.50 internationally, plus a $190 million pretax gain on oil and gas purchases and sales. The figures suggest favorable revenue and asset-management performance. APA third-quarter supplemental information
• Positive Sentiment: The company repurchased 10.5 million shares at an average price of $42.78 during the quarter, reducing its share count and signaling management’s confidence in APA’s valuation. APA supplemental third-quarter financial information
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded APA to “Strong Buy” and raised its Q3 2026 EPS estimate to $0.68 from $0.66. It also increased its FY2026, FY2027 and FY2028 EPS forecasts, which may be supporting investor sentiment. Zacks Strong Buy upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: APA will discuss full third-quarter results on Nov. 5. Until then, the company cautioned that the figures are preliminary and could change during the quarter-end reporting process. APA earnings call schedule
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks lowered several 2028 quarterly EPS estimates, including Q1, Q2 and Q3, while APA’s $115 million in estimated third-quarter general and administrative expense included $56 million of stock-based compensation. These factors could temper the otherwise favorable update.
• Negative Sentiment: APA’s recent median analyst price target is $40.50, below the stock’s quoted price near $43.81, indicating that some analysts see limited near-term upside despite the Strong Buy upgrade.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Mizuho upgraded APA to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Raymond James Financial lifted their target price on shares of APA from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Roth Capital set a $39.00 target price on shares of APA in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of APA from $38.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, Benchmark increased their target price on shares of APA from $40.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $43.14.

APA Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $16.12 billion, a PE ratio of 9.71, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $42.22 and a 200 day moving average of $38.93.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $2.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.46 billion. APA had a return on equity of 24.84% and a net margin of 19.48%.During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.87 EPS. Equities analysts predict that APA Corporation will post 5.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

APA Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 22nd. APA’s payout ratio is currently 21.14%.

APA declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, September 16th that permits the company to buyback 40,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On APA

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of APA. CX Institutional raised its stake in APA by 20.2% during the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 167,682 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,966,000 after purchasing an additional 28,175 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of APA by 14.6% in the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 42,036 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,369,000 after buying an additional 5,344 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of APA by 8.5% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 363,038 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,824,000 after buying an additional 28,474 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of APA by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 25,181,423 shares of the company’s stock worth $820,159,000 after buying an additional 377,429 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Core Capital Management & Research inc. purchased a new stake in shares of APA during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $5,800,000. 83.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

APA Company Profile

APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA) is an independent energy company engaged in the exploration, development and production of oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids. The company’s activities include identifying prospective resources, drilling and completing wells, and managing producing assets across multiple international markets.

APA’s operations have historically been concentrated in the Permian Basin of the United States and in Egypt’s Western Desert, where it participates in exploration and production activities through joint ventures.