Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. Takes Position in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA)

by · The Markets Daily

Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. purchased a new stake in shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA – Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 28,370 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $655,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. TD Private Client Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of APA by 84.1% during the third 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 during the period. Riverview Trust Co increased its position in shares of APA by 5,718.2% during the fourth quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 1,280 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 1,258 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its position in shares of APA by 77.9% during the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 1,338 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 586 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in shares of APA by 93.5% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,614 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 780 shares during the period. Finally, Huntington National Bank grew its holdings in APA by 48.8% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,710 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 561 shares during the period. 83.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of APA from $29.00 to $25.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $32.00 price target on shares of APA in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of APA from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of APA from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $42.00 to $25.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their price objective on shares of APA from $33.00 to $31.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $29.80.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on APA

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 stock was bought 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 in the company, valued at approximately $283,292.08. The trade was a 54.58 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

APA Stock Performance

Shares of APA stock opened at $18.84 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $6.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 3.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.24. APA Co. has a 52 week low of $17.66 and a 52 week high of $36.04. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $22.67 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $23.65.

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

APA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 5.31%. APA’s payout ratio is 44.25%.

About APA

(Free Report)

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.

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