APA (NASDAQ:APA) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

APA (NASDAQ:APA) released its earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.18), Zacks reports. APA had a return on equity of 27.86% and a net margin of 24.36%.

APA Stock Performance

NASDAQ:APA traded down $0.37 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $22.01. 8,659,980 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,542,277. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 3.15. APA has a 1-year low of $20.32 and a 1-year high of $36.04. The company has a 50-day moving average of $22.97 and a 200 day moving average of $24.14. 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 Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 22nd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.54%. APA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.12%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on APA. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on APA from $36.00 to $33.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 8th. UBS Group lowered their target price on APA from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on APA from $29.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on APA from $29.00 to $25.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. 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 report on Thursday, January 23rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, APA currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $30.65.

Insider Transactions at APA

In other news, Director Juliet S. Ellis acquired 4,391 shares of APA stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $22.78 per share, with a total value of $100,026.98. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 12,436 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $283,292.08. This represents a 54.58 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

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.