APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) Shares Bought by Gibraltar Capital Management Inc.

Gibraltar Capital Management Inc. raised its position in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 214,450 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,872 shares during the period. APA accounts for approximately 2.2% of Gibraltar Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Gibraltar Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in APA were worth $4,952,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of APA by 84.1% during the 3rd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,182 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 540 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its holdings in APA by 77.9% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 1,338 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 586 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in shares of APA by 93.5% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,614 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 780 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank grew its holdings in APA by 48.8% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,710 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 561 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC grew its stake in APA by 86.8% in the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 2,087 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 970 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on APA shares. Mizuho reduced their target price on APA from $25.00 to $24.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered APA from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $42.00 to $25.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $32.00 price target on shares of APA in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of APA from $30.00 to $27.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of APA from $29.00 to $25.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, APA presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $30.65.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other APA news, Director Juliet S. Ellis bought 4,391 shares of APA stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $22.78 per share, for a total transaction of $100,026.98. Following the purchase, the director now owns 12,436 shares in the company, valued at $283,292.08. This represents a 54.58 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

APA Stock Down 2.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ APA opened at $22.38 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $22.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $24.14. The company has a market cap of $8.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 3.15. APA Co. has a 12-month low of $20.32 and a 12-month high of $36.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03.

APA Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 22nd. APA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.