6,634 Shares in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) Purchased by Allianz SE

Allianz SE purchased a new stake in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 6,634 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $149,000.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in shares of APA by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 77,110 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,780,000 after purchasing an additional 469 shares during the period. TD Private Client Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of APA by 84.1% in the 3rd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,182 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 540 shares in the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of APA by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 138,991 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,070,000 after acquiring an additional 544 shares during the period. Segment Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of APA by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 54,938 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,269,000 after acquiring an additional 571 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its stake in APA by 77.9% in the fourth 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 during the period. Institutional investors own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

APA Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of APA opened at $21.02 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $21.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $22.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.65 billion, a PE ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 3.26. APA Co. has a 12-month low of $17.66 and a 12-month high of $36.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $2.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.31 billion. As a group, research analysts predict that APA Co. will post 4.03 earnings per share for the current year.

APA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be given 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 is Tuesday, April 22nd. APA’s payout ratio is 44.25%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on APA shares. Barclays cut their price target on shares of APA from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Citigroup lowered their price target on APA from $24.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Raymond James lowered APA from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $45.00 to $32.00 in a research note on Monday, March 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “sell” rating and issued a $23.00 target price on shares of APA in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of APA from $25.00 to $23.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, APA presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $28.25.

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.