The Goldman Sachs Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for APA (NASDAQ:APA) Stock

APA (NASDAQ:APA) had its target price hoisted by stock analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from $21.00 to $23.00 in a report issued on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a “sell” rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s price target suggests a potential downside of 10.85% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on APA. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $35.00 price objective on shares of APA in a research report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of APA from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays set a $24.00 price target on shares of APA in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of APA from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $31.00 target price on shares of APA in a report on Monday, November 24th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, APA currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $26.30.

APA Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ APA opened at $25.80 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $25.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $23.09. The stock has a market cap of $9.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 11.40 and a beta of 0.74. APA has a 52-week low of $13.58 and a 52-week high of $27.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $2.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.06 billion. APA had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 19.86%. APA’s revenue for the quarter was down 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.00 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that APA will post 4.03 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On APA

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators increased its holdings in APA by 276.7% during the 3rd quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,213 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 891 shares in the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its holdings in APA by 144.9% during the second quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,866 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 1,104 shares in the last quarter. CVA Family Office LLC grew its holdings in APA by 6,096.7% during the second quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 1,859 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 1,829 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new stake in APA in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Spire Wealth Management lifted its stake in APA by 179.6% during the 3rd quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,521 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 977 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting APA

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised several near-term EPS forecasts for APA (Q1–Q4 2027 and FY2027 estimates were nudged higher), which can be read as modestly constructive on forward earnings expectations. (Zacks research notes)
• Positive Sentiment: The Goldman Sachs price target was increased to $23 from $21 (rating: sell), a small upward reframe of fair value that could limit downside. Goldman Sachs raises PT to $23
• Positive Sentiment: AmericanBankingNews reported an analyst-implied price-target increase to $22, another incremental supportive datapoint. Price Target Raised to $22
• Neutral Sentiment: Local community event — APA’s “Paws & Pins” fundraiser scheduled for Feb. 20 — is PR/CSR positive but unlikely to move the stock materially. Paws & Pins fundraiser
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary piece outlines how fresh analyst targets are reframing APA’s fair value; useful context for investors but not a direct market mover. Why APA story is shifting
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan cut its price target to $25 (maintained neutral), and that move was reported alongside an intraday share drop — a clear near-term headwind for the stock. JPMorgan lowers PT to $25
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays downgraded APA to an Underweight/“downgrade,” which increases sell-side pressure and may keep the stock capped until clearer operational/commodity signals emerge. Barclays downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks moved the stock from Hold to Strong Sell even while nudging some short-term EPS estimates; the retained negative rating undercuts the constructive EPS revisions. Zacks rating change

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.