$APA

Alaska North Slope (ANS) oil production rose 2% in July to 456,311 barrels per day (bpd), up from June and July 2025. Santos' Pikka field saw the largest increase, averaging 22,537 bpd. Santos aims for 80,000 bpd by Q3. Hilcorp's Point Thomson also increased significantly. ConocoPhillips and Hilcorp fields saw declines. Cook Inlet crude production rose 2.3%.

Bernstein raised its price target on APA Corp. to $40 from $37 but kept its 'Market Perform' rating. The stock has seen a 5-day change of +0.38% and a 1-year change of +73.92%.

Analysts upgraded several companies: Morgan Stanley upgraded Honeywell Aerospace (HONA) to Overweight with a $205 target, Neptune Insurance (NP) to Overweight with a $36 target, and TWFG (TWFG) to Overweight with a $30 target. Northland Capital upgraded Ciena (CIEN) to Outperform with a $500 target. Argus Research upgraded APA Corp (APA) to Buy with a $48 target.

APA stock rose 1.4% in pre-market trading after Argus upgraded it to Buy with a $48 target, citing strong Q2 2026 earnings of $1.89 per share, driven by higher oil and gas prices and cost reductions. The company reported $1.2B in free cash flow for H1 2026, with $750M used for debt reduction, and announced $500M in annualized cost savings. Aker BP's acquisition of APA's North Sea assets further supported the stock.

APA Corporation outlined its strategy at EnerCom Denver, focusing on cash flow, cost cuts, and exploration. The company reported $1.2B in free cash flow for H1 2026, used $750M to reduce debt, and expects year-end debt to fall to $3B. APA highlighted growth in the Permian Basin and Egypt, with production guidance raised to 123,000 barrels a day. Exploration efforts in Suriname, Alaska, and Uruguay are key to long-term plans, with first oil in Suriname expected in mid-2028. Management noted under

Bloomberg reports U.S. shale operators are cutting spending despite higher international oil prices to reduce debt and increase shareholder returns. Chevron and ConocoPhillips cut first-half spending 10%, and Occidental reduced Permian operations by up to a fifth. IEA projects a 1.8 million bpd global deficit; EIA shows May U.S. crude output at 13.714 million bpd.

APA Corporation reported Q2 2026 adjusted production of 347,000 BOE/day and net income of $747 million, or $2.11 per diluted share. Adjusted net income was $669 million, or $1.89 per share. Free cash flow was $738 million. APA raised full-year U.S. oil guidance to 123,000 bpd, maintained a $1.3 billion capital budget, and targeted $500 million annualized cost savings.

APA Corporation (APA) reported Q2 2026 adjusted EPS of $1.89, above the Zacks Consensus of $1.85, helped by higher realized crude oil prices and lower expenses. Revenue was $2.4B, down 8.2% and slightly below estimates. APA raised U.S. oil production guidance to 123,000 bpd and reported $738M free cash flow.

Benchmark raised its price target on APA Corp. (NASDAQ:APA) to $46 from $40 and kept a Buy rating, citing lower costs, higher efficiency, and gas trading gains that reduced debt while production stayed steady. Net debt is expected to fall to $3.3B by year-end 2026 from $4.0B in 2025. APA plans $900M share buybacks in H2.

WTI crude oil (CLU26) jumped over 5% as Iran and Oman stayed short of a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran linking reopening to US sanctions, force withdrawal, asset release and compensation. Trump said he would seek compensation from Iran. US rate-hike odds rose; stocks fell, with energy up and airlines, homebuilders down.