Signaturefd LLC Boosts Holdings in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA)

Signaturefd LLC grew its position in shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) by 55.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,229 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,798 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in APA were worth $375,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. TD Private Client Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of APA by 84.1% during the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,182 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 540 shares during the period. Riverview Trust Co increased its stake in shares of APA by 5,718.2% in the fourth quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 1,280 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 1,258 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its stake in shares of APA by 77.9% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 1,338 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 586 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake 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 worth $37,000 after buying an additional 780 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC increased its stake in shares of APA by 86.8% in the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 2,087 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 970 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

APA Stock Performance

APA stock opened at $20.57 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 3.26. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $22.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $23.14. APA Co. has a fifty-two week low of $17.66 and a fifty-two week high of $36.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.18). The company had revenue of $2.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.31 billion. APA had a return on equity of 27.86% and a net margin of 24.36%. Sell-side analysts predict that APA Co. will post 4.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

APA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 22nd. APA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

APA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of APA from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $42.00 to $25.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Raymond James lowered shares of APA from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $45.00 to $32.00 in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of APA from $24.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of APA from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of APA from $25.00 to $24.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $28.60.

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.