MQS Management LLC Takes Position in APA Corporation $APA

MQS Management LLC acquired a new stake in APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 17,938 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $439,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. United Capital Management of KS Inc. bought a new position in APA in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,214,000. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in APA in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,337,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in APA by 57.5% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 306,195 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,765,000 after acquiring an additional 111,777 shares during the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 384,738 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in APA by 71.0% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 185,818 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,437,000 after acquiring an additional 77,125 shares during the last quarter. 83.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Matthew Regis Bob sold 23,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.23, for a total transaction of $833,290.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 6,634 shares in the company, valued at $240,349.82. This trade represents a 77.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Mark D. Maddox sold 9,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.04, for a total transaction of $392,392.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 66,810 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,675,072.40. The trade was a 12.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.73% of the company’s stock.

APA Trading Up 1.2%

APA opened at $38.80 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $38.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $30.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.92. The firm has a market cap of $13.71 billion, a PE ratio of 9.04 and a beta of 0.38. APA Corporation has a twelve month low of $16.25 and a twelve month high of $45.66.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.27. APA had a net margin of 17.38% and a return on equity of 20.70%. The company had revenue of $2.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.13 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.06 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that APA Corporation will post 5.06 EPS for the current year.

APA Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 22nd. APA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.31%.

APA News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple earnings forecasts for APA, including FY2026, FY2027, and several quarterly estimates, suggesting improved profitability expectations.
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley increased its price target on APA to $44 from $43, indicating slightly better valuation expectations despite the cautious rating. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: APA declared a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share, which may appeal to income-focused investors and support the stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: APA management discussed the company in a shareholder/analyst call transcript, but no major new catalyst was highlighted in the provided excerpt. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: VP Mark D. Maddox sold 9,800 shares, a insider sale that can be viewed cautiously by investors. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: An energy-sector article about Shell divesting Uruguay offshore interests is more relevant to the broader industry than to APA specifically. Article Title

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on APA shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of APA from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Benchmark raised their price objective on shares of APA from $33.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of APA from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Wolfe Research increased their target price on shares of APA from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of APA from $30.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $40.12.

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.