APA (NASDAQ:APA) Given New $45.00 Price Target at Raymond James Financial

APA (NASDAQ:APA) had its price target increased by stock analysts at Raymond James Financial from $31.00 to $45.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the stock. Raymond James Financial’s price target indicates a potential upside of 10.37% from the company’s previous close.

APA has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Evercore boosted their target price on APA from $25.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Truist Financial started coverage on shares of APA in a report on Tuesday. They issued a “hold” rating and a $38.00 target price on the stock. Benchmark lifted their target price on shares of APA from $33.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Stephens raised their price target on shares of APA from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of APA from $22.00 to $26.00 in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $32.23.

APA Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of APA opened at $40.77 on Wednesday. APA has a fifty-two week low of $13.58 and a fifty-two week high of $41.45. The firm has a market cap of $14.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.17 and a beta of 0.67. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $29.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $26.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.82.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.62 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.89 billion. APA had a net margin of 15.55% and a return on equity of 19.89%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 26.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.79 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that APA will post 4.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Matthew Regis Bob sold 23,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.23, for a total value of $833,290.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 6,634 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $240,349.82. This trade represents a 77.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On APA

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its holdings in APA by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 106,667 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,609,000 after buying an additional 375 shares during the period. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of APA by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 28,171 shares of the company’s stock valued at $689,000 after purchasing an additional 396 shares during the period. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC boosted its position in shares of APA by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 14,648 shares of the company’s stock valued at $358,000 after purchasing an additional 461 shares in the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in APA by 0.5% in the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 94,848 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,303,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares during the period. Finally, one8zero8 LLC grew its stake in APA by 1.2% in the third quarter. one8zero8 LLC now owns 42,254 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,026,000 after purchasing an additional 488 shares during the period. 83.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting APA

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays upgraded APA to Equal Weight, citing benefits from LNG‑linked price contracts — a supportive analyst move that can attract buyers. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Evercore raised its price target from $25 to $40 while keeping an in‑line/neutral rating — a large PT lift that validates higher valuation and may boost momentum. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: APA announced a natural gas discovery in Egypt’s Western Desert — fresh production/resource upside that can improve near‑term growth expectations. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Reported short interest fell from ~34.5M to ~29.7M shares (about 8.5% of float) as of mid‑March — a reduction in short exposure that can lessen downside pressure and support the rally. (Internal short‑interest report)
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary is asking whether APA’s recent multi‑year run is already priced in — useful for longer‑term valuation debates but not an immediate catalyst. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading / technical pieces note a strong uptrend and potential momentum reversal signals — relevant for traders but mixed as a fundamental catalyst. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Truist initiated coverage with a Hold rating and a $38 price target (below the recent market level) — a conservative stance that could cap near‑term upside. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its PT slightly to $30 but retained a Sell rating — a noteworthy negative signal from a major house that may weigh on investor sentiment. Read More.

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.