APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) Shares Bought by Royal London Asset Management Ltd.

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. increased its position in shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) by 53.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 102,794 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 35,716 shares during the period. Royal London Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in APA were worth $2,374,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APA. TD Private Client Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of APA by 84.1% in the 3rd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,182 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 540 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co increased its holdings in shares of APA by 5,718.2% in the fourth quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 1,280 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 1,258 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its position in shares of APA by 77.9% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 1,338 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 586 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in shares of APA by 93.5% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,614 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 780 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC grew its holdings in shares of APA by 86.8% in the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 2,087 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 970 shares during the last quarter. 83.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

APA Stock Performance

APA stock opened at $20.84 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $21.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $23.00. APA Co. has a 12 month low of $17.66 and a 12 month high of $36.05. The company has a market capitalization of $7.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 3.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last posted its earnings results 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 return on equity of 27.86% and a net margin of 24.36%. The business had revenue of $2.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.31 billion. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that APA Co. will post 4.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

APA Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 22nd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.80%. APA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on APA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on APA from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of APA from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $42.00 to $25.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $32.00 price objective on shares of APA in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Susquehanna reduced their target price on APA from $33.00 to $31.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on APA from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $28.60.

APA 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.