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

APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday after Raymond James Financial raised their price target on the stock from $31.00 to $45.00. Raymond James Financial currently has an outperform rating on the stock. APA traded as high as $41.27 and last traded at $41.2190, with a volume of 2316708 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $39.03.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on APA. Barclays upgraded shares of APA from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $35.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of APA from $23.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 16th. TD Cowen raised shares of APA to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of APA from $30.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on APA from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $32.23.

Insider Activity at APA

In other news, Director Matthew Regis Bob sold 23,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $240,349.82. This represents a 77.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.69% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting APA

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: APA reported a new natural gas discovery in Egypt’s Western Desert, which could accelerate local production, lower lifting costs and support Egypt’s push to cut energy imports — a clear operational catalyst for future volumes and cash flow. APA’s New Gas Discovery Strengthens Egypt’s Energy Outlook Zacks: APA’s New Gas Discovery Strengthens Egypt’s Energy Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Raymond James bumped its price target to $45 and kept an “Outperform” rating, signaling stronger sell‑side conviction on APA’s earnings/cash‑flow trajectory. Raymond James adjusts price target on APA to $45
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage notes from Goldman‑linked commentary flagged upside potential, adding to bullish analyst chatter that supports momentum into the near term. APA Stock Price Expected to Rise, The Goldman Sachs Group Analyst Says
• Positive Sentiment: Reported short‑interest has declined from prior levels (29.7M shares, ~8.5% of float as of March 13), reducing one potential headwind and lowering the risk of short‑driven volatility. (Data summary from recent short‑interest reports.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Barclays moved APA to Equal Weight — an upgrade that narrows downside risk vs. prior view but is not an outright buy signal. Barclays Upgrades APA to Equal Weight
• Neutral Sentiment: Evercore raised its price target to $40 but left an in‑line/neutral rating, reflecting higher valuation assumptions but guarded expectations about near‑term upside. Evercore adjusts APA price target to $40
• Neutral Sentiment: Truist initiated coverage with a Hold and a $38 target, adding a cautious voice that could temper upside from bullish calls. Truist initiates coverage of APA with Hold
• Neutral Sentiment: Some short‑interest data feeds showed inconsistent zero values (likely reporting glitches); treat those as noisy — rely on confirmed filings for position sizing and risk.
• Negative Sentiment: Separately, valuation caution articles ask whether recent multi‑year gains already price in APA’s upside — a reminder that stretched multiples or expectations could lead to pullbacks if execution or commodity prices disappoint. Is It Too Late To Consider APA After Its Strong Multi‑Year Share Price Run?

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of APA by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 106,667 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,609,000 after acquiring an additional 375 shares during the period. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of APA by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 28,171 shares of the company’s stock valued at $689,000 after purchasing an additional 396 shares during the last quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC increased its stake in shares of APA by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 14,648 shares of the company’s stock worth $358,000 after purchasing an additional 461 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of APA by 0.5% during the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 94,848 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,303,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares during the period. Finally, one8zero8 LLC lifted its holdings in APA by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. one8zero8 LLC now owns 42,254 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,026,000 after purchasing an additional 488 shares during the last quarter. 83.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

APA Stock Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average of $29.99 and a two-hundred day moving average of $26.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.36 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.82.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.29. The firm 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was down 26.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.79 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that APA Corporation will post 4.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

APA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 is Wednesday, April 22nd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. APA’s dividend payout ratio is 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.