First Trust Advisors LP Cuts Stock Position in APA Corporation $APA

First Trust Advisors LP cut its stake in shares of APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA) by 7.8% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 2,499,127 shares of the company’s stock after selling 211,278 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in APA were worth $60,679,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. HUB Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of APA during the third quarter worth about $228,000. Sunpointe LLC acquired a new position in shares of APA during the 3rd quarter worth about $357,000. United Capital Management of KS Inc. purchased a new position in APA in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,214,000. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in APA by 132.0% in the 3rd quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 38,676 shares of the company’s stock valued at $939,000 after buying an additional 22,006 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in APA by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 28,971 shares of the company’s stock worth $703,000 after buying an additional 2,431 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

APA Trading Down 2.4%

APA opened at $31.82 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 16.90 and a beta of 0.67. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $27.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $25.15. APA Corporation has a 1-year low of $13.58 and a 1-year high of $33.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

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

APA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 22nd will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 22nd. APA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.06%.

Key APA News

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wolfe Research raised its price target on APA to $45 (from $39), implying material upside versus recent levels — a clear bullish catalyst for the stock. MarketScreener
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reports for early March are internally inconsistent: filings claim a “large increase” but show 0 shares and NaN changes — effectively no actionable short-interest signal. This noisy data likely adds uncertainty rather than a clear bullish or bearish force.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts’ consensus rating remains a “Hold,” which signals mixed expectations from the sell-side and supports muted investor conviction. Analyst Consensus: Hold
• Neutral Sentiment: Scotiabank published FY2026 earnings estimates for APA; without a clear beat/miss or material revision disclosed here, the update is informational and unlikely by itself to drive a directional move. Scotiabank Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies raised its target to $26 (from $22) — an upgrade in target level but still implying meaningful downside versus recent trade, which can exert bearish pressure on the stock. MarketScreener

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on APA shares. TD Cowen upgraded APA to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on APA from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Citigroup boosted their price target on APA from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Barclays set a $24.00 price objective on APA in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on APA from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with 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 presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $29.33.

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.