APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) Stock Holdings Lifted by Howard Capital Management Inc.

Howard Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) by 13.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 88,310 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,394 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in APA were worth $2,039,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its holdings in shares of APA by 22.8% during the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 65,071 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,503,000 after acquiring an additional 12,077 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in APA by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,991,513 shares of the company’s stock worth $293,312,000 after purchasing an additional 485,291 shares in the last quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised its stake in APA by 175.8% during the 4th quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft now owns 23,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $543,000 after purchasing an additional 14,980 shares during the period. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of APA in the third quarter valued at $7,238,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of APA by 13.5% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,261,324 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,852,000 after buying an additional 149,762 shares during the period. 83.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

APA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on APA from $25.00 to $22.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Truist Financial lowered their target price on APA from $36.00 to $33.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of APA from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of APA from $30.00 to $27.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Raymond James upped their price objective on shares of APA from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $30.65.

Insider Transactions at APA

In related news, Director Juliet S. Ellis acquired 4,391 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $22.78 per share, with a total value of $100,026.98. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 12,436 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $283,292.08. This trade represents a 54.58 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

APA Stock Down 3.5 %

Shares of APA opened at $22.79 on Monday. APA Co. has a 52 week low of $20.32 and a 52 week high of $36.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 3.15. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $22.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $24.22. 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 Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 22nd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.39%. APA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.12%.

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.