APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) Stake Boosted by Bank of Montreal Can

Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) by 7.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 384,493 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 25,084 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can owned 0.10% of APA worth $8,878,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its position in APA by 1,087.9% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 540 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co increased its position in APA by 5,718.2% in the 4th quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 1,280 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 1,258 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its stake in APA by 77.9% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 1,338 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 586 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in APA during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Institutional investors own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

APA Trading Up 3.0 %

NASDAQ:APA opened at $15.04 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $5.48 billion, a PE ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 2.74. APA Co. has a fifty-two week low of $13.58 and a fifty-two week high of $33.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.24. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $20.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $22.26.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last announced 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%. The company had revenue of $2.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.31 billion. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that APA Co. will post 4.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

APA Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 22nd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.65%. APA’s payout ratio is 44.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of APA from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Citigroup decreased their price target on APA from $24.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Susquehanna cut their price objective on APA from $33.00 to $31.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “sell” rating and set a $23.00 target price on shares of APA in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Raymond James lowered shares of APA from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $45.00 to $32.00 in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $26.58.

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.