APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) Shares Acquired by Mediolanum International Funds Ltd

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd increased its stake in shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) by 56.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 309,983 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 111,698 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd’s holdings in APA were worth $6,933,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Harris Associates L P grew its stake in shares of APA by 20.8% during the third quarter. Harris Associates L P now owns 24,914,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $609,414,000 after acquiring an additional 4,293,932 shares in the last quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC grew its stake in APA by 12.6% during the 3rd quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 30,471,834 shares of the company’s stock valued at $745,341,000 after purchasing an additional 3,411,270 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its holdings in APA by 3,450.8% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 985,907 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,115,000 after purchasing an additional 958,141 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in shares of APA by 17.2% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 4,102,659 shares of the company’s stock valued at $100,351,000 after purchasing an additional 600,612 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of APA by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,991,513 shares of the company’s stock valued at $293,312,000 after buying an additional 485,291 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on APA shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of APA from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their price target for the company from $42.00 to $25.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of APA from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Mizuho cut their price objective on APA from $25.00 to $24.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Susquehanna decreased their target price on APA from $52.00 to $48.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Bernstein Bank dropped their price target on APA from $30.00 to $28.00 in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, APA presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $30.65.

Insider Buying and Selling at APA

In other news, Director Juliet S. Ellis purchased 4,391 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $22.78 per share, for a total transaction of $100,026.98. Following the transaction, the director now owns 12,436 shares in the company, valued at $283,292.08. This trade represents a 54.58 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

APA Trading Down 4.6 %

Shares of APA stock opened at $21.93 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.11 billion, a PE ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 3.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.24. APA Co. has a 1 year low of $20.32 and a 1 year high of $36.04. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $22.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $25.12.

APA Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 22nd will be given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 22nd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.56%. APA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.12%.

APA Profile

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.