APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) Shares Purchased by Bridgewater Associates LP

Bridgewater Associates LP raised its holdings in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) by 73.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 461,386 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 195,319 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP owned approximately 0.12% of APA worth $10,653,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its position in shares of APA by 1,087.9% during the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 1,176 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,077 shares during the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co increased its position in shares of APA by 5,718.2% during the fourth quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 1,280 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 1,258 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its stake in shares of APA by 77.9% in the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 1,338 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 586 shares during the period. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of APA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in APA by 93.5% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,614 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 780 shares during the last quarter. 83.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

APA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on APA from $25.00 to $23.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Scotiabank dropped their target price on APA from $26.00 to $14.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “sell” rating and issued a $23.00 price objective on shares of APA in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of APA from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of APA from $27.00 to $24.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $26.21.

APA Trading Up 3.2 %

Shares of APA stock opened at $15.37 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $19.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $22.10. The stock has a market cap of $5.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 2.74. APA Co. has a 12-month low of $13.58 and a 12-month high of $33.41.

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

APA Dividend Announcement

The company 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 dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.51%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 22nd. APA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.25%.

APA 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.