BNP Paribas Asset Management Holding S.A. Takes Position in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA)

BNP Paribas Asset Management Holding S.A. bought a new position in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 7,016 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $252,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of APA. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in APA by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,719,129 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,714,656,000 after buying an additional 2,003,862 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in APA by 130.0% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,534,209 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,037,000 after buying an additional 867,257 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in APA by 1,527.3% in the third quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 921,662 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,880,000 after buying an additional 865,026 shares during the period. Smead Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of APA by 13.6% in the 4th quarter. Smead Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,235,957 shares of the company’s stock worth $187,866,000 after acquiring an additional 626,460 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of APA by 8,888.4% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 549,552 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,587,000 after acquiring an additional 543,438 shares in the last quarter. 83.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on APA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of APA from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Truist Financial cut their price target on APA from $59.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $45.00 target price on shares of APA in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on APA from $53.00 to $52.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on APA from $35.00 to $31.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, APA presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $42.10.

APA Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of APA stock traded down $0.39 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $30.33. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,613,290 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,601,038. APA Co. has a 52-week low of $28.90 and a 52-week high of $46.15. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $32.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $33.15. The stock has a market cap of $11.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.40 and a beta of 3.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.16.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The company reported $0.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by ($0.12). APA had a net margin of 34.04% and a return on equity of 45.32%. The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.89 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.19 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that APA Co. will post 4.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.