Empirical Finance LLC Purchases 497 Shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA)

Empirical Finance LLC lifted its holdings in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,272 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 497 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC’s holdings in APA were worth $765,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in APA. Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in APA by 75.4% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,093 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 470 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its stake in shares of APA by 386.7% in the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 1,358 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 1,079 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new stake in APA in the 2nd quarter valued at about $42,000. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC raised its stake in APA by 1,325.0% during the 2nd quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 1,710 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 1,590 shares during the period. Finally, Huntington National Bank boosted its holdings in APA by 48.8% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,710 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 561 shares in the last quarter. 83.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

APA Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:APA opened at $22.38 on Friday. APA Co. has a fifty-two week low of $21.15 and a fifty-two week high of $37.82. The company’s 50-day moving average is $24.51 and its 200 day moving average is $27.67. 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 company has a market capitalization of $8.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 3.24.

APA Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.47%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 22nd. APA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on APA. Barclays decreased their price objective on APA from $30.00 to $27.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 8th. Bernstein Bank lowered their price objective on shares of APA from $30.00 to $28.00 in a report on Friday, October 18th. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of APA from $36.00 to $33.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 8th. Susquehanna lowered their target price on shares of APA from $52.00 to $48.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on APA from $49.00 to $47.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $32.95.

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.