Brokerages Set APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) Target Price at $28.60

APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) has received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the nineteen research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $28.20.

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup reduced their target price on APA from $24.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of APA from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of APA from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Susquehanna dropped their price target on shares of APA from $33.00 to $31.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on APA from $25.00 to $23.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday.

APA Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of APA opened at $21.10 on Monday. APA has a 52 week low of $17.66 and a 52 week high of $36.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 3.26. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $21.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $22.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.24.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.18). APA had a net margin of 24.36% and a return on equity of 27.86%. The firm had revenue of $2.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.31 billion. On average, equities research analysts expect that APA will post 4.03 earnings per share for the current year.

APA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 22nd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.74%. APA’s dividend payout ratio is 44.25%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On APA

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its position in shares of APA by 1,087.9% during the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 1,176 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,077 shares in the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC raised its position in APA by 84.1% in the 3rd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,182 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 540 shares during the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co lifted its holdings in APA by 5,718.2% during the 4th quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 1,280 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 1,258 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its position in APA by 77.9% in the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 1,338 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 586 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of APA in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Institutional investors own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

APA Company Profile

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.