MQS Management LLC Takes Position in APA Corporation $APA

MQS Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 17,938 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $439,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators raised its position in APA by 276.7% in the third quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,213 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 891 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new position in APA in the third quarter worth about $34,000. Camelot Portfolios LLC acquired a new position in APA in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Community Bank N.A. acquired a new position in APA in the third quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC raised its position in APA by 4,697.7% in the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 2,063 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 2,020 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at APA

In other news, Director Matthew Regis Bob sold 23,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.23, for a total transaction of $833,290.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 6,634 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $240,349.82. This represents a 77.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Mark D. Maddox sold 9,800 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.04, for a total transaction of $392,392.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 66,810 shares in the company, valued at $2,675,072.40. This trade represents a 12.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.73% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

APA Stock Performance

NASDAQ APA opened at $38.80 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $13.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.04 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a 50 day moving average of $38.87 and a 200-day moving average of $30.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. APA Corporation has a 1-year low of $16.25 and a 1-year high of $45.66.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $2.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.13 billion. APA had a net margin of 17.38% and a return on equity of 20.70%. The company’s revenue was down 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.06 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that APA Corporation will post 5.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

APA Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 22nd. APA’s dividend payout ratio is 23.31%.

APA News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple earnings forecasts for APA, including FY2026, FY2027, and several quarterly estimates, suggesting improved profitability expectations.
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley increased its price target on APA to $44 from $43, indicating slightly better valuation expectations despite the cautious rating. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: APA declared a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share, which may appeal to income-focused investors and support the stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: APA management discussed the company in a shareholder/analyst call transcript, but no major new catalyst was highlighted in the provided excerpt. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: VP Mark D. Maddox sold 9,800 shares, a insider sale that can be viewed cautiously by investors. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: An energy-sector article about Shell divesting Uruguay offshore interests is more relevant to the broader industry than to APA specifically. Article Title

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APA has been the subject of several recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on shares of APA from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays raised shares of APA from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $35.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Capital One Financial increased their price target on shares of APA from $50.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Stephens increased their price target on shares of APA from $24.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of APA from $26.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $40.12.

APA Profile

APA Corporation (NASDAQ: APA) is an independent exploration and production company engaged in the acquisition, development and production of oil and natural gas resources. The company operates through three core regions: the United States, Egypt and the North Sea. Through its integrated approach, APA combines geological and geophysical expertise with technical innovation to identify and develop hydrocarbons in both onshore and offshore settings.

In the United States, APA’s largest position is in the Permian Basin of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico, where it holds substantial acreage dedicated to oil-focused drilling and production.