Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Buys 158,476 Shares of APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) by 30.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 672,978 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 158,476 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned about 0.18% of APA worth $15,761,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in APA by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 77,110 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,780,000 after acquiring an additional 469 shares during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of APA by 84.1% in 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. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of APA by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 138,991 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,070,000 after purchasing an additional 544 shares during the period. Segment Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of APA by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 54,938 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,269,000 after purchasing an additional 571 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its position in shares of APA by 77.9% during the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 1,338 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 586 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on APA. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of APA from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on APA from $24.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Barclays decreased their target price on APA from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Susquehanna dropped their price target on APA from $33.00 to $31.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $22.00 price objective on shares of APA and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, APA presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $28.25.

APA Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:APA opened at $21.02 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $21.51 and its 200 day moving average is $22.89. APA Co. has a 12-month low of $17.66 and a 12-month high of $36.05. The stock has a market cap of $7.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 3.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.18). The firm had revenue of $2.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.31 billion. APA had a return on equity of 27.86% and a net margin of 24.36%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that APA Co. will post 4.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

APA Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 22nd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.76%. APA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.25%.

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.