Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. Makes New Investment in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA)

Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. purchased a new position in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor purchased 28,370 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $655,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its stake in APA by 22.8% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 65,071 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,503,000 after buying an additional 12,077 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of APA by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,991,513 shares of the company’s stock worth $293,312,000 after acquiring an additional 485,291 shares during the last quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted its holdings in shares of APA by 175.8% in the 4th quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft now owns 23,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $543,000 after acquiring an additional 14,980 shares during the last quarter. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of APA in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $7,238,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of APA by 13.5% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,261,324 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,852,000 after acquiring an additional 149,762 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

APA Stock Up 0.5 %

NASDAQ:APA opened at $18.84 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $22.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $23.65. The company has a market capitalization of $6.97 billion, a PE ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 3.26. 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 1-year low of $17.66 and a 1-year high of $36.04.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) 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). APA had a net margin of 24.36% and a return on equity of 27.86%. The firm had revenue of $2.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.31 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that APA Co. will post 4.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

APA Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 22nd. APA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

APA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of APA from $25.00 to $24.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $32.00 price target on shares of APA in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Susquehanna lowered their price target 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. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of APA from $29.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of APA from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 9th. 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 issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $29.80.

Insider Activity at APA

In related news, Director Juliet S. Ellis bought 4,391 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $22.78 per share, for a total transaction of $100,026.98. Following the purchase, the director now owns 12,436 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $283,292.08. The trade was a 54.58 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About APA

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.