Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC Decreases Stock Position in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA)

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC reduced its position in APA Co. (NASDAQ:APA) by 24.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 19,135 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,074 shares during the quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in APA were worth $468,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of APA. Harris Associates L P increased its position in APA by 20.8% in the third quarter. Harris Associates L P now owns 24,914,700 shares of the company’s stock worth $609,414,000 after buying an additional 4,293,932 shares during the last quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC increased its position in APA by 12.6% in the third quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 30,471,834 shares of the company’s stock worth $745,341,000 after buying an additional 3,411,270 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of APA by 131.7% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,813,655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,704,000 after purchasing an additional 2,736,041 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC grew its position in shares of APA by 3,450.8% in the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 985,907 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,115,000 after purchasing an additional 958,141 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of APA by 112.6% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,448,935 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,092,000 after purchasing an additional 767,557 shares in the last quarter. 83.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

APA Trading Down 4.1 %

Shares of APA stock opened at $21.05 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $23.30 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $26.44. APA Co. has a 12-month low of $20.45 and a 12-month high of $37.82. The firm has a market cap of $7.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 3.18.

APA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.75%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 22nd. APA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Juliet S. Ellis purchased 4,391 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $22.78 per share, with a total value of $100,026.98. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 12,436 shares in the company, valued at approximately $283,292.08. This trade represents a 54.58 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Mizuho reduced their price target on APA from $25.00 to $24.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Scotiabank reduced their price target on APA from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on APA from $29.00 to $25.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Susquehanna reduced their price target on APA from $52.00 to $48.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on APA from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, APA presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $31.14.

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.