Marathon Trading Investment Management LLC Buys Shares of 55,626 APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA)

Marathon Trading Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm bought 55,626 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,284,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its stake in APA by 84.1% during the 3rd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,182 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 540 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co grew its position in shares of APA by 5,718.2% in the fourth quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 1,280 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,258 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 586 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in APA by 93.5% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,614 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 780 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Huntington National Bank boosted its stake in APA by 48.8% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,710 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 561 shares during the last quarter. 83.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Juliet S. Ellis bought 4,391 shares of APA stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $22.78 per share, with a total value of $100,026.98. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 12,436 shares in the company, valued at $283,292.08. The trade was a 54.58 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

APA Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:APA opened at $19.02 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $22.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $23.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.24. APA Co. has a 1 year low of $17.66 and a 1 year high of $36.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.92 billion, a PE ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 3.26.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.18). APA had a return on equity of 27.86% and a net margin of 24.36%. The business had revenue of $2.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.31 billion. Analysts predict that APA Co. will post 4.03 EPS for the current year.

APA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 22nd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.26%. APA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Piper Sandler cut their target price on APA from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of APA from $25.00 to $22.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of APA from $29.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of APA from $25.00 to $24.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Raymond James lowered shares of APA from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $45.00 to $32.00 in a research report on Monday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $29.15.

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.