APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) Shares Bought by Rothschild Investment LLC

Rothschild Investment LLC raised its position in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) by 86.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,087 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 970 shares during the quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC’s holdings in APA were worth $48,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. South Dakota Investment Council increased its stake in APA by 96.6% in the 4th quarter. South Dakota Investment Council now owns 774,245 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,877,000 after buying an additional 380,510 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of APA by 13.3% during the 4th quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 88,310 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,039,000 after purchasing an additional 10,394 shares during the period. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of APA by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 10,449 shares of the company’s stock worth $241,000 after purchasing an additional 643 shares during the period. Compass Capital Corp MA ADV acquired a new position in shares of APA during the 4th quarter worth $468,000. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of APA by 104.3% during the 4th quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 48,609 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,122,000 after purchasing an additional 24,819 shares during the period. 83.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on APA. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of APA from $29.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Piper Sandler lowered 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. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of APA from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $42.00 to $25.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of APA from $25.00 to $24.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $32.00 price target on shares of APA in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, APA presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $30.65.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Juliet S. Ellis acquired 4,391 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $22.78 per share, with a total value of $100,026.98. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 12,436 shares in the company, valued at $283,292.08. The trade was a 54.58 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

APA Price Performance

NASDAQ:APA opened at $22.01 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $8.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 3.15. 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 company’s 50-day moving average is $22.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $24.13. APA Co. has a 12-month low of $20.32 and a 12-month high of $36.04.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.18). APA had a net margin of 24.36% and a return on equity of 27.86%. Research analysts expect that APA Co. will post 4.03 EPS for the current year.

APA Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 22nd. APA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.12%.

APA 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.