Dodge & Cox Sells 3,800 Shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA)

Dodge & Cox lessened its stake in shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) by 8.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 42,900 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,800 shares during the quarter. Dodge & Cox’s holdings in APA were worth $991,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in APA. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its position in APA by 1,087.9% during the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 1,176 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 1,077 shares during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of APA by 84.1% during 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 during the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co boosted its stake in APA by 5,718.2% during the 4th quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 1,280 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,258 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its holdings in APA by 77.9% in the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 1,338 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 586 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in APA in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

APA Stock Performance

NASDAQ:APA opened at $14.89 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 2.74. APA Co. has a 1 year low of $13.58 and a 1 year high of $33.41. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $19.82 and a 200-day moving average of $22.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.18). The business had revenue of $2.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.31 billion. APA had a return on equity of 27.86% and a net margin of 24.36%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that APA Co. 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 Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 22nd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.72%. APA’s payout ratio is 44.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on APA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of APA from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “sell” rating and set a $23.00 price objective on shares of APA in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Scotiabank reduced their target price on shares of APA from $26.00 to $14.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on APA from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on APA from $24.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, APA presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $26.47.

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.