Analysts Issue Forecasts for APA’s Q3 Earnings (NASDAQ:APA)

APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research boosted their Q3 2026 earnings estimates for APA in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, October 6th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the company will post earnings of $0.68 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $0.66. Zacks Research has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for APA’s current full-year earnings is $5.80 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for APA’s Q4 2026 earnings at $0.59 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $4.53 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.01 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.94 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.82 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.95 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $3.72 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $0.75 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $0.73 EPS, Q3 2028 earnings at $0.46 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $3.83 EPS.

APA has been the subject of a number of other reports. Wall Street Zen raised APA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 22nd. Seaport Research Partners assumed coverage on APA in a research note on Thursday, September 3rd. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on APA from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Truist Financial lifted their price target on APA from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on APA from $41.00 to $40.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $43.14.

APA Stock Up 3.8%

APA stock opened at $45.47 on Wednesday. APA has a 1-year low of $21.63 and a 1-year high of $47.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The stock has a market cap of $15.93 billion, a PE ratio of 9.61, a P/E/G ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.42. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $42.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.98.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $2.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.46 billion. APA had a net margin of 19.48% and a return on equity of 24.84%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.87 earnings per share.

APA Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 22nd. APA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.14%.

APA announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, September 16th that authorizes the company to repurchase 40,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On APA

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of APA. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of APA during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,173,231,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in APA by 1,726.2% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 4,834,502 shares of the company’s stock valued at $205,176,000 after buying an additional 4,569,779 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in APA during the second quarter worth $134,558,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its position in APA by 240.5% during the second quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 2,662,794 shares of the company’s stock worth $86,727,000 after buying an additional 1,880,674 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of APA by 55.0% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 4,154,301 shares of the company’s stock worth $176,309,000 after acquiring an additional 1,473,626 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting APA

Here are the key news stories impacting APA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research upgraded APA from “Hold” to “Strong Buy,” while raising its Q3 2026 EPS estimate to $0.68 from $0.66 and increasing its FY2026, FY2027 and FY2028 forecasts. The firm also lifted its Q4 2026 and several 2027 quarterly estimates, reinforcing the near-term earnings outlook. APA Stock Moved Up to Strong-Buy by Zacks Research
• Positive Sentiment: APA’s supplemental Q3 update showed strong estimated realized prices, including $87.50 per barrel for U.S. oil and $98.50 for international oil. The company also reported a preliminary $190 million pretax net gain on oil and gas purchases and sales, including an $8 million realized derivatives gain. APA Third-Quarter Supplemental Information
• Positive Sentiment: APA repurchased 10.5 million shares during the quarter at an average price of $42.78, potentially supporting per-share results and signaling management’s confidence in the company’s valuation. The company will discuss finalized results on November 5.
• Positive Sentiment: A Zacks analysis identified APA as a potential long-term growth stock based on its style scores, providing additional positive visibility among growth, value and momentum investors. Why APA Is a Top Growth Stock for the Long-Term
• Neutral Sentiment: Estimated general and administrative expenses were approximately $115 million, including $56 million in stock-based compensation. The company cautioned that the preliminary figures may change before reporting is complete.
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the Strong Buy call, Zacks reduced several longer-term quarterly EPS estimates, including Q1-Q3 2028 forecasts. Separately, the median analyst price target cited by Quiver was $40.50, below the recent trading level, suggesting valuation-related upside may be limited. An executive vice president also sold 9,800 shares, although the transaction alone may not be material.

APA Company Profile

APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA) is an independent energy company engaged in the exploration, development and production of oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids. The company’s activities include identifying prospective resources, drilling and completing wells, and managing producing assets across multiple international markets.

APA’s operations have historically been concentrated in the Permian Basin of the United States and in Egypt’s Western Desert, where it participates in exploration and production activities through joint ventures.