Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Sells 1,480 Shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank trimmed its holdings in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 190,192 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,480 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned about 0.05% of APA worth $4,392,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of APA. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of APA by 37.6% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 5,064 shares of the company’s stock valued at $117,000 after purchasing an additional 1,383 shares in the last quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB purchased a new stake in shares of APA in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,486,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in APA by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 76,174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,759,000 after buying an additional 1,797 shares in the last quarter. Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. purchased a new position in APA during the fourth quarter valued at $655,000. Finally, Pacific Heights Asset Management LLC raised its stake in APA by 38.9% during the fourth quarter. Pacific Heights Asset Management LLC now owns 250,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,772,000 after buying an additional 70,000 shares during the last quarter. 83.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

APA Stock Performance

APA opened at $19.61 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $22.29 and its 200 day moving average is $23.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The company has a market cap of $7.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 3.26. APA Co. has a 12-month low of $17.66 and a 12-month high of $36.05.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.18). The business had revenue of $2.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.31 billion. APA had a return on equity of 27.86% and a net margin of 24.36%. On average, equities research analysts predict that APA Co. will post 4.03 EPS for the current year.

APA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 22nd. APA’s payout ratio is 44.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on APA. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on APA from $25.00 to $22.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Raymond James lowered shares of APA from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $45.00 to $32.00 in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of APA from $29.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. 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 research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $32.00 price objective on shares of APA in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, APA has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $28.90.

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.