APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) Stake Boosted by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) by 1,079.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 338,704 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 309,994 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in APA were worth $7,845,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its position in shares of APA by 1,087.9% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 1,176 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 1,077 shares during the period. TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its position in APA by 84.1% during the 3rd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,182 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 540 shares during the period. Riverview Trust Co grew its stake in APA by 5,718.2% during 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 in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its holdings in shares of APA by 77.9% in the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 1,338 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 586 shares during the period. Finally, Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of APA in the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. 83.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

APA Stock Up 3.0 %

APA stock opened at $15.04 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.24. APA Co. has a fifty-two week low of $13.58 and a fifty-two week high of $35.25. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $20.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $22.27. The firm has a market cap of $5.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 2.74.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.18). The business had revenue of $2.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.31 billion. APA had a return on equity of 27.86% and a net margin of 24.36%. As a group, analysts forecast that APA Co. will post 4.03 earnings per share for the current year.

APA Dividend Announcement

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 $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 22nd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.65%. APA’s payout ratio is 44.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on APA shares. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of APA from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of APA from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 13th. 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. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on APA from $27.00 to $24.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on APA from $25.00 to $23.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, APA currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $26.58.

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.