American Century Companies Inc. Has $16.10 Million Stock Position in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA)

American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) by 30.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 697,224 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 163,608 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned 0.19% of APA worth $16,099,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Harris Associates L P boosted its position in shares of APA by 20.8% during the 3rd quarter. Harris Associates L P now owns 24,914,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $609,414,000 after purchasing an additional 4,293,932 shares in the last quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC lifted its position in APA by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 30,471,834 shares of the company’s stock valued at $745,341,000 after acquiring an additional 3,411,270 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in shares of APA by 29.4% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,092,666 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,500,000 after buying an additional 929,770 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in APA by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,886,087 shares of the company’s stock worth $297,540,000 after acquiring an additional 894,574 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in APA in the 4th quarter worth about $14,524,000. 83.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

APA Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:APA opened at $21.02 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $21.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $22.89. APA Co. has a 12-month low of $17.66 and a 12-month high of $36.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 3.26.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.18). The company had revenue of $2.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.31 billion. APA had a net margin of 24.36% and a return on equity of 27.86%. On average, research analysts anticipate that APA Co. 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 Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 22nd. APA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Mizuho lowered their target price on APA from $25.00 to $24.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on APA from $24.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 17th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $32.00 target price on shares of APA in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “sell” rating and issued a $23.00 target price on shares of APA in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of APA from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $28.25.

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.