Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Cuts Stake in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA)

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky lessened its stake in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) by 7.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 328,052 shares of the company’s stock after selling 26,586 shares during the quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky owned approximately 0.09% of APA worth $7,574,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of APA. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of APA by 1,087.9% during the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 1,176 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,077 shares during the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co boosted its stake in APA by 5,718.2% during the fourth quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 1,280 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 1,258 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its stake in APA by 77.9% during 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 during the last quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in APA during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in APA by 93.5% in 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on APA. Morgan Stanley set a $20.00 target price on shares of APA and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on shares of APA from $33.00 to $31.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of APA from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Citigroup dropped their price target on APA from $20.00 to $15.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on APA from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $26.21.

APA Price Performance

Shares of APA stock opened at $15.50 on Tuesday. APA Co. has a twelve month low of $13.58 and a twelve month high of $33.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $19.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 2.74.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.31 billion. On average, analysts predict that APA Co. will post 4.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

APA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 22nd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.45%. 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.