Piper Sandler Increases APA (NASDAQ:APA) Price Target to $30.00

APA (NASDAQ:APA) had its price target boosted by investment analysts at Piper Sandler from $23.00 to $30.00 in a research report issued on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. Piper Sandler’s target price points to a potential downside of 8.20% from the stock’s current price.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on APA. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of APA from $23.00 to $21.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. UBS Group upped their price objective on APA from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of APA in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on APA from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on APA from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $28.92.

APA Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of APA opened at $32.68 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $27.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.82. APA has a 1 year low of $13.58 and a 1 year high of $33.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.54 billion, a PE ratio of 8.19, a P/E/G ratio of 15.73 and a beta of 0.67.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.29. APA had a net margin of 15.55% and a return on equity of 19.89%. The firm had revenue of $1.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.89 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.79 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 26.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that APA will post 4.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On APA

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in shares of APA by 869.7% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 194,418 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,872,000 after acquiring an additional 174,369 shares during the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of APA by 38.8% during the 2nd quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 284,275 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,199,000 after acquiring an additional 79,451 shares in the last quarter. United Capital Management of KS Inc. purchased a new stake in APA during the third quarter worth approximately $1,214,000. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in APA during the third quarter worth approximately $2,337,000. Finally, AE Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in APA by 2,049.4% in the third quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 403,511 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,797,000 after purchasing an additional 384,738 shares in the last quarter. 83.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting APA

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: APA announced a dual listing on Nasdaq Texas, which could increase local liquidity and visibility with Texas‑based investors and reinforce the company’s Permian Basin ties. APA Corporation Announces Dual Listing on Nasdaq Texas
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple bullish analyst notes and price‑target increases have surfaced this week (Benchmark raised its target to $40 with a Buy; Susquehanna and BMO published positive commentary and a separate report raised the target to $34), supporting upward momentum and investor confidence. APA Price Target Raised to $34
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary highlighted APA as a value upstream pick amid oil volatility, noting low valuation multiples, improved cost structure and cash flow — a narrative that attracts income/value‑oriented energy investors. Why One Energy Expert Is Betting on These 3 Oil Stocks Now
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC and Piper Sandler raised price targets (to $29 and $30) but kept sector‑perform/neutral ratings — a mixed signal that trims downside risk but doesn’t add a strong buy case. RBC/Piper Sandler PT adjustments
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest reports flagged a “large increase” but the underlying data shows 0 shares / NaN changes — likely a data error and currently not meaningful for price pressure or squeeze dynamics.
• Neutral Sentiment: Legislative chatter (H.R.7554) aiming to limit greenhouse‑gas regulation could, if enacted, ease regulatory risk for fossil‑fuel producers — a policy tailwind but highly uncertain and not a near‑term catalyst. H.R. 7554 CARBON Act
• Negative Sentiment: Scotiabank trimmed its FY2027 EPS estimate (from $1.65 to $1.50), signaling some analyst caution on near‑term earnings power; that could cap upside if others follow with cuts. Scotiabank cuts FY2027 estimate (MarketBeat)

About APA

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.