APA (NASDAQ:APA) Sets New 52-Week High on Analyst Upgrade

Shares of APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday after Zacks Research upgraded the stock from a strong sell rating to a hold rating. The company traded as high as $30.10 and last traded at $29.4630, with a volume of 1969979 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $29.10.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on APA. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on APA from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on APA from $25.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Evercore raised their price target on APA from $21.00 to $25.00 in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of APA from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of APA from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $27.39.

APA News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results and free cash flow beat — APA reported better‑than‑expected EPS and revenue and highlighted robust free cash flow and disciplined capital allocation, supporting the rally. APA beats quarterly profit estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic capital plan & cost savings — Management signaled a $2.1B 2026 capital plan and is targeting roughly $450M in annual cost savings, which improves free cash flow outlook and supports share gains. APA signals $2.1B capital plan
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish analyst move — Wolfe Research raised its price target to $39 and kept an “outperform” rating, implying material upside and likely helping buying interest. Wolfe raises PT to $39
• Neutral Sentiment: Major bank neutral adjustments — Roth MKM and JPMorgan raised targets to $27 and $29 respectively but maintained neutral ratings, narrowing upside and signaling mixed conviction. Roth raises PT to $27 JPMorgan raises PT to $29
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts still see downside — Mizuho and Evercore raised price targets but keep below‑current valuations (to $24 and $25) with underperform/in‑line stances, which likely caps gains for investors focused on downside risk. Mizuho adjusts PT to $24 Evercore adjusts PT to $25

Institutional Investors Weigh In On APA

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in shares of APA by 869.7% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of APA by 38.8% during the second quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 284,275 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,199,000 after purchasing an additional 79,451 shares during the period. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of APA during the third quarter valued at $2,337,000. AE Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of APA by 2,049.4% in the 3rd 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 period. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its position in shares of APA by 22.0% in the 2nd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 914,667 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,729,000 after purchasing an additional 165,006 shares during the period. 83.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

APA Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $26.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $24.56. 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 stock has a market cap of $10.77 billion, a PE ratio of 7.61, a PEG ratio of 13.88 and a beta of 0.74.

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

APA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 22nd will be paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 22nd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. APA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.