Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Sells 498 Shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA)

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. trimmed its stake in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) by 0.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 188,393 shares of the company’s stock after selling 498 shares during the quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.05% of APA worth $4,350,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cerity Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of APA by 25.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 28,710 shares of the company’s stock worth $702,000 after acquiring an additional 5,842 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in APA by 5.4% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 359,409 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,816,000 after purchasing an additional 18,332 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in shares of APA by 3.1% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 302,301 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,394,000 after purchasing an additional 9,033 shares in the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of APA in the third quarter valued at approximately $231,000. Finally, Glenmede Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in shares of APA by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 9,803 shares of the company’s stock valued at $240,000 after buying an additional 775 shares in the last quarter. 83.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

APA Price Performance

Shares of APA stock opened at $21.13 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $21.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $22.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.69 billion, a PE ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 3.26. APA Co. has a 12 month low of $17.66 and a 12 month high of $36.05. 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 (NASDAQ:APA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.18). APA had a return on equity of 27.86% and a net margin of 24.36%. The business had revenue of $2.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.31 billion. Sell-side analysts forecast that APA Co. will post 4.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

APA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 22nd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.73%. APA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of APA from $25.00 to $23.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “sell” rating and issued a $23.00 price target on shares of APA in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on APA from $25.00 to $24.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. UBS Group decreased their price target on APA from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Raymond James lowered shares of APA from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $45.00 to $32.00 in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $28.25.

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.