APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA) Short Interest Update

APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA) saw a significant decrease in short interest during the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 29,748,050 shares, a decrease of 13.9% from the February 26th total of 34,534,176 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 9,421,639 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.2 days. Currently, 8.5% of the company’s shares are sold short.

APA News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple near‑term and longer‑term EPS forecasts for APA (Q1–Q4 2026–2028 and FY2026–FY2028), nudging FY2027 and FY2028 estimates higher — a sign of incremental analyst optimism on profitability.
• Positive Sentiment: Stephens boosted its price target to $45 (from $24) while maintaining an “equal weight” rating — the target move signals higher upside from prior view even though the rating is neutral. MarketScreener
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target to $45 (from $25) while keeping a “neutral” rating — another sign analysts see materially higher valuation potential versus prior targets. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: APA Solar announced an expansion of its manufacturing campus in Northwest Ohio — this operational investment could support growth in the company’s solar-related business (reads as a positive development for diversified energy exposure). SolarPowerWorld
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite the estimate increases, Zacks Research retains a “Hold” rating — upgrades are incremental and the firm’s stance remains cautious, which tempers the bullish signal from higher EPS forecasts.
• Negative Sentiment: Market coverage noted a near‑3% intraday decline while the broader market gained, suggesting short‑term profit taking or rotation away from energy/commodity‑sensitive names. This pressure can outweigh modest estimate upgrades in the short run. Yahoo/Market News

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of APA. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators raised its position in APA by 276.7% in the 3rd quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,213 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 891 shares in the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 710 shares during the period. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new position in shares of APA during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Camelot Portfolios LLC acquired a new position in shares of APA during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Spire Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of APA by 179.6% during the third quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,521 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 977 shares during the period. 83.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

APA has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of APA from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Wolfe Research lifted their target price on shares of APA from $39.00 to $45.00 in a report on Monday, March 9th. UBS Group boosted their target price on APA from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Bank of America upped their price target on APA from $23.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded APA to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, APA has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $35.38.

APA Stock Down 3.0%

Shares of NASDAQ APA traded down $1.29 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $41.16. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,227,348 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,013,416. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $31.40 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $26.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82. APA has a 1 year low of $13.58 and a 1 year high of $45.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.24 and a beta of 0.67.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.62 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.89 billion. APA had a net margin of 15.55% and a return on equity of 19.89%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 26.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.79 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that APA will post 4.03 EPS for the current year.

APA Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 22nd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. APA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.06%.

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.