APA (NASDAQ:APA) Upgraded to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of APA (NASDAQ:APA) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Saturday.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Argus raised APA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $48.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on APA from $39.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Mizuho raised APA to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on APA from $44.00 to $41.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reduced their price target on APA from $57.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $41.50.

APA Trading Down 2.3%

APA opened at $43.39 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.17, a P/E/G ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. APA has a 12 month low of $20.71 and a 12 month high of $45.66. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $35.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $35.79.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by ($0.01). APA had a return on equity of 24.84% and a net margin of 19.48%.The firm had revenue of $2.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.46 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.87 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that APA will post 5.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On APA

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hollencrest Capital Management raised its holdings in APA by 520.8% during the first quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 596 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new position in APA during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Summit Securities Group LLC boosted its position in APA by 115.1% during the fourth quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 1,327 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 710 shares during the last quarter. MidFirst Bank bought a new position in APA in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Compass Financial Management LLC bought a new position in APA in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

APA News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Argus upgraded APA to Buy, providing a stronger analyst endorsement for the oil and gas producer and potentially supporting investor sentiment. APA Raised to Buy at Argus
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple earnings forecasts: FY2026 EPS increased to $4.40 from $4.22, FY2027 to $3.16 from $2.99, FY2028 to $3.59 from $3.38, Q1 2027 to $0.94 from $0.84, Q3 2027 to $0.72 from $0.68, and Q4 2027 to $0.73 from $0.69. These revisions indicate improved expectations for APA’s medium-term earnings performance.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks maintained a Hold rating despite the higher estimates. The revisions remain below the consensus full-year estimate of $5.27 EPS for the current fiscal year, suggesting analysts see upside in longer-term forecasts but not enough evidence for a more decisive rating change. APA analyst estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 2028 EPS expectations were reduced to $0.99 from $1.03, partially offsetting the broader upward revisions and highlighting uncertainty around future commodity prices, production levels, and operating costs.

About APA

APA Corporation (NASDAQ: APA) is an independent exploration and production company engaged in the acquisition, development and production of oil and natural gas resources. The company operates through three core regions: the United States, Egypt and the North Sea. Through its integrated approach, APA combines geological and geophysical expertise with technical innovation to identify and develop hydrocarbons in both onshore and offshore settings.

In the United States, APA’s largest position is in the Permian Basin of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico, where it holds substantial acreage dedicated to oil-focused drilling and production.