Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Forecast for APA Earnings

APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research raised their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for shares of APA in a research note issued to investors on Monday, March 30th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $0.37 for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $0.36. Zacks Research currently has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for APA’s current full-year earnings is $4.03 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for APA’s Q4 2026 earnings at $0.48 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $1.69 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.49 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.47 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.47 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.33 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $1.76 EPS.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Bank of America increased their price objective on APA from $23.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. Scotiabank upgraded APA to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Johnson Rice raised APA from a “hold” rating to an “accumulate” rating and upped their target price for the company from $35.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Benchmark upped their target price on APA from $33.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Capital One Financial raised their price target on APA from $32.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $35.38.

APA Price Performance

NASDAQ APA opened at $42.44 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $31.40 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $26.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. APA has a 12-month low of $13.58 and a 12-month high of $45.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.64 and a beta of 0.67.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.91 EPS 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 19.89%. The firm had revenue of $1.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.89 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.79 EPS. APA’s revenue was down 26.6% on a year-over-year basis.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On APA

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of APA by 869.7% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 194,418 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,872,000 after acquiring an additional 174,369 shares during the period. United Capital Management of KS Inc. acquired a new position in APA during the third quarter valued at $1,214,000. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in APA in the third quarter valued at $2,337,000. AE Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in APA by 2,049.4% in the third quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 403,511 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,797,000 after purchasing an additional 384,738 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group grew its position in APA by 22.0% during the 2nd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 914,667 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,729,000 after purchasing an additional 165,006 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Matthew Regis Bob sold 23,000 shares of APA stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.23, for a total transaction of $833,290.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 6,634 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $240,349.82. The trade was a 77.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

APA Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 22nd. APA’s payout ratio is presently 25.06%.

APA News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Stephens raised its price target to $45 (from $24) and kept an “equal weight” rating — a meaningful upward revision that signals improved analyst conviction on valuation. Stephens adjusts price target on APA
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup also lifted its price target to $45 (from $25) while keeping a “neutral” rating — another upward target re-rate that supports upside consensus near the mid-$40s. Citigroup raises APA price target
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research nudged its FY2028 EPS estimate slightly higher to $2.69 (from $2.64), a small fundamental upgrade to forward earnings assumptions (Zacks maintains a “Hold”).
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple bullish independent write-ups and summaries (Yahoo, MSN, InsiderMonkey) are circulating analyses arguing for APA’s investment case — these can attract longer-term investors but may not move price immediately. Is APA a good stock to buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: News that APA Solar is expanding a manufacturing campus in Northwest Ohio is positive for that business line but appears peripheral to APA Corporation’s core oil & gas operations; impact on APA Corp. is uncertain. APA Solar expands manufacturing campus
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks published that “APA stock sinks as market gains” — the headline and coverage indicate the stock declined today despite analyst target upgrades, suggesting profit-taking, short-term rotation, or sector-level forces outweighed positive fundamental/target revisions. APA Stock Sinks As Market Gains

APA Company Profile

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.