APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) Shares Sold by LSV Asset Management

LSV Asset Management lessened its holdings in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) by 3.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,732,196 shares of the company’s stock after selling 96,066 shares during the quarter. LSV Asset Management owned about 0.89% of APA worth $98,031,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of APA by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,719,129 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,714,656,000 after buying an additional 2,003,862 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in APA by 130.0% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,534,209 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,037,000 after purchasing an additional 867,257 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of APA by 1,527.3% during the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 921,662 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,880,000 after purchasing an additional 865,026 shares in the last quarter. Smead Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of APA by 13.6% in the 4th quarter. Smead Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,235,957 shares of the company’s stock valued at $187,866,000 after purchasing an additional 626,460 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in APA by 8,888.4% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 549,552 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,587,000 after buying an additional 543,438 shares during the period. 83.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

APA Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of APA stock traded up $0.08 on Friday, reaching $29.26. 9,600,753 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,374,839. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 1.02. APA Co. has a 1-year low of $28.90 and a 1-year high of $46.15. The company has a market cap of $8.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 3.29. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $32.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $34.13.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The company reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by ($0.12). The business had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.89 billion. APA had a net margin of 34.04% and a return on equity of 45.32%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.19 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that APA Co. will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

APA Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, April 22nd will be given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.42%. APA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.19%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on APA. Raymond James dropped their price objective on APA from $44.00 to $43.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Scotiabank reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $37.00 target price (down previously from $43.00) on shares of APA in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of APA in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $55.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on APA from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price target on APA from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, APA has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $42.05.

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.