Abel Hall LLC Invests $239,000 in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA)

Abel Hall LLC purchased a new position in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund purchased 10,354 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $239,000.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of APA. Woodstock Corp boosted its stake in APA by 20.3% in the third quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 308,253 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,540,000 after buying an additional 51,993 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of APA by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,991,513 shares of the company’s stock worth $293,312,000 after acquiring an additional 485,291 shares during the period. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of APA during the 3rd quarter valued at $7,238,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in APA by 13.5% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,261,324 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,852,000 after purchasing an additional 149,762 shares during the period. Finally, PVG Asset Management Corp bought a new position in APA during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $757,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at APA

In other news, Director Juliet S. Ellis purchased 4,391 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $22.78 per share, with a total value of $100,026.98. Following the transaction, the director now owns 12,436 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $283,292.08. This represents a 54.58 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of APA from $29.00 to $25.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on APA from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $32.00 price objective on shares of APA in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Susquehanna decreased their price target on shares of APA from $52.00 to $48.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on APA from $25.00 to $22.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $30.65.

APA Price Performance

APA stock opened at $23.18 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.58 billion, a PE ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 3.16. APA Co. has a 12-month low of $20.32 and a 12-month high of $36.04. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $22.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $25.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03.

APA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.31%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 22nd. APA’s payout ratio is currently 14.12%.

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.