APA (NASDAQ:APA) Price Target Raised to $45.00 at Raymond James

APA (NASDAQ:APA) had its price target boosted by Raymond James from $44.00 to $45.00 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a strong-buy rating on the stock.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on APA from $39.00 to $33.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Bernstein Bank decreased their price objective on APA from $30.00 to $28.00 in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Scotiabank cut their target price on shares of APA from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of APA from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of APA from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $42.00 to $25.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $30.65.

APA Trading Up 0.6 %

APA opened at $23.51 on Thursday. APA has a 52 week low of $20.32 and a 52 week high of $36.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $22.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $25.39. The firm has a market cap of $8.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 3.16.

APA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 22nd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.25%. APA’s payout ratio is 14.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling at APA

In related news, Director Juliet S. Ellis acquired 4,391 shares of APA stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $22.78 per share, for a total transaction of $100,026.98. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 12,436 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $283,292.08. This trade represents a 54.58 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On APA

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. TD Private Client Wealth LLC lifted its position in APA by 84.1% in the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,182 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 540 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in shares of APA by 93.5% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,614 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 780 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank boosted its stake in APA by 48.8% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,710 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 561 shares in the last quarter. Eastern Bank boosted its stake in APA by 355.0% during the fourth quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 2,275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 1,775 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in APA by 164.2% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,581 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 1,604 shares during the period. 83.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

APA Company Profile

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.