APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) Shares Bought by GAMMA Investing LLC

GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) by 55.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,881 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,800 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in APA were worth $182,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of APA by 3.1% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 456,922 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,176,000 after buying an additional 13,557 shares during the period. Synovus Financial Corp raised its stake in APA by 144.3% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 30,925 shares of the company’s stock worth $756,000 after acquiring an additional 18,268 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC raised its stake in APA by 154.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 62,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,526,000 after acquiring an additional 37,855 shares during the last quarter. PVG Asset Management Corp acquired a new stake in APA during the 3rd quarter worth about $757,000. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its stake in APA by 23.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 11,678 shares of the company’s stock valued at $266,000 after purchasing an additional 2,185 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

APA Stock Performance

NASDAQ APA opened at $23.68 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 3.16. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $22.44 and a 200 day moving average of $25.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. APA Co. has a twelve month low of $20.32 and a twelve month high of $36.04.

APA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 22nd. APA’s payout ratio is 14.12%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on APA shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on APA from $25.00 to $22.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of APA from $52.00 to $48.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of APA from $25.00 to $24.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of APA from $36.00 to $33.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of APA from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 9th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, APA has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $30.55.

Insider Activity at APA

In related news, Director Juliet S. Ellis purchased 4,391 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $22.78 per share, with a total value of $100,026.98. Following the purchase, the director now owns 12,436 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $283,292.08. This represents a 54.58 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About APA

APA Corporation, an independent energy company, explores for, develops, and produces natural gas, crude oil, and natural gas liquids. It has oil and gas operations in the United States, Egypt, and North Sea. The company also has exploration and appraisal activities in Suriname, as well as holds interests in projects located in Uruguay and internationally.