Citi analyst Robert Morris downgraded Apache to Neutral citing limited upside to his slightly reduced price target of $53. Management's conservative approach may cause investors to question the quality of the company's Permian inventory, Morris tells investors in a research note.

Piper Sandler raised the firm's price target on APA Corp. to $35 from $33 and keeps a Neutral rating on the shares as part of a Q1 preview for the exploration and production group. Energy has been hot, almost too hot, as $90 crude potentially cools the pace of consolidation and investors looking for ways to play the data center and power demand theme turn to gas equities, the analyst tells investors in a research note. The firm adjusted oil and gas price assumptions, expecting crude pricing to remain strong through Q3 and gas pricing pressure to persist through the balance of fiscal 2024.