APA Co. Plans Quarterly Dividend of $0.25 (NASDAQ:APA)

APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, February 8th, RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be given a dividend of 0.25 per share on Wednesday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 19th.

APA has raised its dividend payment by an average of 45.5% annually over the last three years. APA has a dividend payout ratio of 19.6% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect APA to earn $5.32 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.00 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 18.8%.

APA Stock Performance

NASDAQ APA opened at $32.26 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $32.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $34.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 3.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. APA has a fifty-two week low of $29.47 and a fifty-two week high of $46.15.

APA (NASDAQ:APA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 22nd. The company reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by ($0.18). The company had revenue of $2.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.07 billion. APA had a return on equity of 62.64% and a net margin of 34.95%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.48 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that APA will post 4.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

APA has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on APA from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. StockNews.com upgraded APA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Johnson Rice downgraded APA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $40.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, January 5th. Mizuho reduced their target price on APA from $36.00 to $34.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Finally, Barclays initiated coverage on APA in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $40.00 target price on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $41.80.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On APA

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main boosted its position in shares of APA by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 25,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $919,000 after purchasing an additional 785 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its position in shares of APA by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 128,384 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,606,000 after purchasing an additional 1,971 shares during the period. Hoertkorn Richard Charles acquired a new stake in shares of APA in the 4th quarter valued at about $6,978,000. Systematic Portfolios LLC acquired a new stake in shares of APA in the 4th quarter valued at about $281,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in APA by 22.4% during the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,922,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,976,000 after acquiring an additional 352,386 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.01% of the company’s stock.

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.