APA (NASDAQ:APA) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

APA (NASDAQ:APA) was upgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their target price on APA from $26.00 to $25.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on APA from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Citigroup increased their target price on APA from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of APA from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. Finally, Capital One Financial cut their price target on shares of APA from $32.00 to $31.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 9th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $27.39.

APA Trading Up 4.4%

Shares of APA traded up $1.27 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $30.37. The stock had a trading volume of 8,704,381 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,744,535. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $26.28 and its 200 day moving average is $24.53. The firm has a market cap of $10.77 billion, a PE ratio of 7.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 13.30 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. APA has a 1 year low of $13.58 and a 1 year high of $30.42.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.29. APA had a net margin of 15.55% and a return on equity of 20.08%. The firm had revenue of $1.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.89 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.79 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 26.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that APA will post 4.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On APA

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of APA. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators lifted its holdings in APA by 276.7% during 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 during the period. Summit Securities Group LLC raised its position in shares of APA by 115.1% in the 4th quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 1,327 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 710 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new position in shares of APA in the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Spire Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 977 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Camelot Portfolios LLC bought a new stake in APA during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. 83.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

APA News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results and free cash flow beat — APA reported better‑than‑expected EPS and revenue and highlighted robust free cash flow and disciplined capital allocation, supporting the rally. APA beats quarterly profit estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic capital plan & cost savings — Management signaled a $2.1B 2026 capital plan and is targeting roughly $450M in annual cost savings, which improves free cash flow outlook and supports share gains. APA signals $2.1B capital plan
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish analyst move — Wolfe Research raised its price target to $39 and kept an “outperform” rating, implying material upside and likely helping buying interest. Wolfe raises PT to $39
• Neutral Sentiment: Major bank neutral adjustments — Roth MKM and JPMorgan raised targets to $27 and $29 respectively but maintained neutral ratings, narrowing upside and signaling mixed conviction. Roth raises PT to $27 JPMorgan raises PT to $29
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts still see downside — Mizuho and Evercore raised price targets but keep below‑current valuations (to $24 and $25) with underperform/in‑line stances, which likely caps gains for investors focused on downside risk. Mizuho adjusts PT to $24 Evercore adjusts PT to $25

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.