National Bank of Canada FI Acquires 67,788 Shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA)

National Bank of Canada FI lifted its stake in shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) by 50.1% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 202,962 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 67,788 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI’s holdings in APA were worth $4,964,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Harris Associates L P boosted its position in shares of APA by 20.8% in the 3rd quarter. Harris Associates L P now owns 24,914,700 shares of the company’s stock worth $609,414,000 after purchasing an additional 4,293,932 shares in the last quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC lifted its position in APA by 12.6% during the third quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 30,471,834 shares of the company’s stock valued at $745,341,000 after purchasing an additional 3,411,270 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of APA by 131.7% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,813,655 shares of the company’s stock worth $141,704,000 after buying an additional 2,736,041 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC lifted its holdings in APA by 3,450.8% in the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 985,907 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,115,000 after acquiring an additional 958,141 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of APA by 112.6% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,448,935 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,092,000 after purchasing an additional 767,557 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at APA

In other news, Director Juliet S. Ellis acquired 4,391 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $22.78 per share, with a total value of $100,026.98. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 12,436 shares in the company, valued at $283,292.08. This trade represents a 54.58 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on APA. Bernstein Bank dropped their price target on shares of APA from $30.00 to $28.00 in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Susquehanna dropped their target price on shares of APA from $52.00 to $48.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 18th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on APA from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Scotiabank dropped their target price on shares of APA from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their target price on APA from $39.00 to $33.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $32.52.

APA Price Performance

Shares of APA stock opened at $22.94 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $23.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $26.65. APA Co. has a 52-week low of $20.95 and a 52-week high of $37.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 3.18.

APA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 22nd. APA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.12%.

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.