APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) Announces $0.25 Quarterly Dividend

APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, February 6th,RTT News reports. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be paid a dividend of 0.25 per share on Thursday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.62%.

APA has increased its dividend by an average of 61.5% annually over the last three years. APA has a payout ratio of 29.4% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect APA to earn $3.63 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.00 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 27.5%.

APA Stock Down 2.5 %

APA opened at $21.64 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 3.15. APA has a one year low of $20.32 and a one year high of $36.04. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $22.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.24.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced 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. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on APA from $52.00 to $48.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 18th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $32.00 target price on shares of APA in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded APA from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $42.00 to $25.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on APA from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, APA has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $30.65.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Juliet S. Ellis bought 4,391 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $22.78 per share, with a total value of $100,026.98. Following the purchase, the director now owns 12,436 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $283,292.08. This trade represents a 54.58 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

About APA

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.