APA (NASDAQ:APA) Price Target Raised to $38.00

APA (NASDAQ:APA) had its price objective raised by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $29.00 to $38.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning,MarketScreener reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on APA. Evercore upped their price target on APA from $21.00 to $25.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. 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 report on Thursday, March 5th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of APA from $23.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their target price on shares of APA from $26.00 to $25.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on shares of APA from $24.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have given a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $30.52.

APA Price Performance

APA stock opened at $39.11 on Friday. APA has a one year low of $13.58 and a one year high of $39.52. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $29.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $25.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.80 and a beta of 0.67.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.89 billion. APA had a return on equity of 19.89% and a net margin of 15.55%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 26.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.79 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that APA will post 4.03 EPS for the current year.

APA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 22nd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. APA’s payout ratio is presently 25.06%.

Insider Activity at APA

In related news, Director Matthew Regis Bob sold 23,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.23, for a total value of $833,290.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 6,634 shares in the company, valued at approximately $240,349.82. This represents a 77.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On APA

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of APA. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in APA by 869.7% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 194,418 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,872,000 after purchasing an additional 174,369 shares in the last quarter. United Capital Management of KS Inc. bought a new stake in APA during the third quarter worth about $1,214,000. Prudential Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of APA by 38.8% in the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of APA in the 3rd quarter worth about $2,337,000. Finally, AE Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of APA by 2,049.4% during 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 last quarter. 83.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

APA News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Crude-driven rally lifted APA’s shares as Middle East supply concerns pushed oil prices higher, which typically increases exploration & production firms’ near-term cash‑flow expectations and valuation leverage. APA gains as crude oil jumps on renewed Middle East supply fears
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target on APA to $38 (from $29) while keeping a “neutral” rating — the PT increase signals improved analyst near-term valuation (even though the firm remains cautious). MarketScreener
• Neutral Sentiment: Mizuho and a separate note reported modest upward adjustments to APA’s targets (Mizuho to $29; another report to $27). These lifts are supportive but still sit below some investor expectations and the current trading level. APA Price Target Raised to $27.00 Mizuho Boosts APA Price Target to $29.00
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data in the latest print appear anomalous (reported as 0 shares / 0.0 days), suggesting a data or reporting issue rather than a material change in short positioning; treat this item cautiously.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Director Matthew Regis Bob sold 23,000 shares at an average $36.23 (≈$833k), reducing his holdings by ~77.6% — an outsized insider sale that can weigh on sentiment. SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: QuiverQuant’s summary notes sizable historical institutional reductions (e.g., Harris Associates, UBS AM, Blackstone) from recent quarters — large past selling by major holders can cap rallies and increase volatility. QuiverQuant institutional holdings

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.