Zacks Research Issues Positive Forecast for APA Earnings

APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research raised their Q1 2027 EPS estimates for shares of APA in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the company will earn $0.55 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $0.52. Zacks Research currently has a “Strong Sell” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for APA’s current full-year earnings is $4.03 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for APA’s Q2 2027 earnings at $0.54 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.48 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $2.12 EPS.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $31.00 price objective on shares of APA in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on APA from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of APA from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday. Stephens raised their price objective on shares of APA from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of APA from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, October 13th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, APA presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $26.39.

APA Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ APA opened at $25.55 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $25.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $23.04. APA has a fifty-two week low of $13.58 and a fifty-two week high of $27.72. The company has a market capitalization of $9.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.14, a P/E/G ratio of 11.84 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $2.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.06 billion. APA had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 19.86%. APA’s quarterly revenue was down 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.00 earnings per share.

APA Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 22nd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%. APA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.04%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On APA

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in APA. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators increased its position in APA by 276.7% in the third quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,213 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 891 shares in the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of APA by 144.9% during the 2nd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,866 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 1,104 shares during the period. CVA Family Office LLC grew its stake in shares of APA by 6,096.7% during the 2nd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 1,859 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 1,829 shares during the period. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new stake in APA in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Spire Wealth Management raised its stake in APA by 179.6% during the 3rd quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,521 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 977 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

Key APA News

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple near-term EPS estimates for APA (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4 and FY adjustments), signaling slightly stronger short-term earnings expectations despite an overall cautious outlook. (Zacks also retains a “Strong Sell” rating.)
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raised its price target from $21 to $22 (maintains a “hold”), a modest positive revision to consensus fair value expectations. Jefferies raises PT to $22
• Neutral Sentiment: Market previews and coverage continue ahead of upcoming earnings, offering background on what to watch (production, cash flow, cost control). This is informational but not an immediate directional catalyst. Earnings preview
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks downgraded APA from “Hold” to “Strong Sell,” increasing investor caution; the downgrade likely pressured sentiment even as some estimates were nudged higher. Zacks downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays reaffirmed an “Underweight” rating, reinforcing sell-side skepticism on the stock’s near-term outlook. Barclays underweight
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan trimmed its price target to $25 from $26 (keeps a “Neutral” rating); that cut contributed directly to downward pressure on the shares this session. JPMorgan lowers PT to $25
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs nudged its target to $23 from $21 but kept a “Sell” rating — a technical raise but still a negative stance (PT remains below the current market price). Goldman raises PT to $23, keeps sell
• Negative Sentiment: News coverage noted a near-term share decline following these analyst moves, highlighting that the string of cautious/negative analyst actions is the main driver of today’s weakness. Coverage of share drop after downgrade

APA Company Profile

APA Corporation (NASDAQ: APA) is an independent exploration and production company engaged in the acquisition, development and production of oil and natural gas resources. The company operates through three core regions: the United States, Egypt and the North Sea. Through its integrated approach, APA combines geological and geophysical expertise with technical innovation to identify and develop hydrocarbons in both onshore and offshore settings.

In the United States, APA’s largest position is in the Permian Basin of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico, where it holds substantial acreage dedicated to oil-focused drilling and production.