APA (NASDAQ:APA) Reaches New 52-Week High After Analyst Upgrade

APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Friday after Mizuho raised their price target on the stock from $22.00 to $24.00. Mizuho currently has an underperform rating on the stock. APA traded as high as $30.10 and last traded at $29.4630, with a volume of 1969979 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $29.10.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. Roth Mkm increased their price objective on shares of APA from $23.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. TD Cowen upgraded shares of APA to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on APA from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Evercore upped their price objective on APA from $21.00 to $25.00 in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of APA from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $27.39.

More APA News

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beats and strong cash flow — APA topped EPS and revenue estimates for Q4, reported robust free cash flow (>$1B) and emphasized disciplined capital allocation, which investors see as supportive for buybacks/debt reduction. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: 2026 capital plan and cost savings — Management signaled a $2.1B capital plan for 2026 and is targeting ~$450M of annual cost savings, which should improve cash flow and margin leverage if realized. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish analyst move — Wolfe Research raised its price target to $39 and kept an outperform rating, signaling material upside versus recent levels and providing a bullish research anchor. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed but modestly higher PTs from some banks — JPMorgan and Roth raised targets to $29 and $27 (neutral ratings), effectively putting targets near the current market price and indicating limited immediate upside from those shops. Article Title Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Short interest reporting appears inconsistent — Recent short‑interest snapshots in feeds show zeros/NaN and a 0.0 days-to-cover figure; data is unreliable and not driving price action today. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts still see downside — Mizuho and Evercore raised targets but maintained underperform/in-line stances at $24 and $25, implying double‑digit downside from recent levels and keeping pressure on the stock. Article Title Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Underlying operating weakness — Revenue and several operating metrics remain down year‑over‑year (lower volumes/prices), and Reuters noted Q4 profit fell year‑over‑year despite the beat — a reminder of commodity exposure and cyclical risk. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Institutional portfolio changes — Recent filings show large net reductions by some major holders (Harris, UBS) even as others added, signaling mixed institutional conviction. Article Title

Hedge Funds Weigh In On APA

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of APA. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators increased its holdings in APA by 276.7% in the 3rd quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,213 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 891 shares during the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC boosted its position in shares of APA by 115.1% during the fourth quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 1,327 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 710 shares during the period. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new stake in shares of APA in the third quarter valued at $34,000. Spire Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of APA by 179.6% in the 3rd quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,521 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 977 shares during the period. Finally, Camelot Portfolios LLC acquired a new position in APA during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. 83.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

APA Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78. The company has a market capitalization of $10.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.38, a P/E/G ratio of 12.72 and a beta of 0.74. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $26.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $24.45.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.62 by $0.29. APA had a net margin of 15.55% and a return on equity of 20.08%. The firm had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.89 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.79 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 26.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that APA Corporation will post 4.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

APA Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 22nd. APA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.06%.

About APA

APA Corporation (NASDAQ: APA) is an independent exploration and production company engaged in the acquisition, development and production of oil and natural gas resources. The company operates through three core regions: the United States, Egypt and the North Sea. Through its integrated approach, APA combines geological and geophysical expertise with technical innovation to identify and develop hydrocarbons in both onshore and offshore settings.

In the United States, APA’s largest position is in the Permian Basin of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico, where it holds substantial acreage dedicated to oil-focused drilling and production.