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Introduction & Market Context
APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA) released its first-quarter 2025 financial and operational presentation on May 7, 2025, highlighting significant cost reduction initiatives and operational efficiencies while maintaining stable production. The company’s strategic focus remains on its core Permian Basin and Egypt operations, which together account for 75% of adjusted production.
The presentation comes after a challenging fourth quarter of 2024, when APA missed earnings expectations with an EPS of $0.79 against a forecast of $0.9767. The stock has been under pressure, trading near $15.48 at the previous close, significantly below its 52-week high of $33.41.
Cost Efficiency and Capital Discipline
A central theme of APA’s presentation was its aggressive cost-cutting measures. The company has doubled its year-end 2025 run-rate savings target to $225 million, with expected realized savings of $130 million in 2025, up from an original target of $60 million.
As shown in the following chart detailing progress on controllable spend:
In the Permian Basin, APA is achieving remarkable capital efficiency by reducing rig count from 11 in 2023 to approximately 6.75 in 2025, while simultaneously decreasing development capital from ~$2,100 million to ~$1,515 million. Despite these reductions, U.S. oil production is expected to increase by 5% from 120 Mbo/d in 2023 to 125-127 Mbo/d in 2025.
The following chart illustrates this improved capital efficiency in the Permian:
These efficiency gains are largely driven by significant improvements in drilling performance. Average feet drilled per day has increased from ~1,200 to ~1,700 in the Midland Basin and from ~850 to ~1,140 in the Delaware Basin between Q1 2024 and Q1 2025.
The drilling efficiency improvements are visualized in this chart:
Quarterly Performance Highlights
For the first quarter of 2025, APA reported production of 468,978 BOE/D with a mix of 50% oil, 17% NGLs, and 33% gas. U.S. operations contributed 298,319 BOE/D, while international assets produced 170,659 BOE/D.
The company highlighted several achievements during the quarter, including development capital below guidance due to drilling efficiencies, the movement of Apache debt to APA with refinanced credit facilities, and the announced sale of New Mexico assets for $608 million in proceeds.
A significant contributor to financial performance was third-party oil and gas trading activities, which generated $123 million in net gains during Q1.
The quarterly performance summary is presented in this comprehensive overview:
Strategic Initiatives
Egypt represents a key growth area for APA, with the company reporting year-over-year growth in gas volumes for the first time in 12 years. A new pricing agreement allocates higher fixed prices on incremental volumes above pre-determined PDP decline, contributing to expected increases in realized gas prices from $2.94/Mcf in FY24 to $3.80/Mcf by Q4 2025.
The following chart shows Egypt’s gas production growth and price improvement:
APA highlighted three differentiating factors that position it favorably in a lower oil price environment: the Egypt Production Sharing Contract (PSC) structure that provides a higher portion of net production at lower oil prices, rigorous cost management, and oil and gas marketing contracts expected to generate $575 million in third-party trading income in 2025.
These competitive advantages are illustrated in this overview:
Forward-Looking Statements
Looking ahead, APA’s exploration portfolio is led by Suriname Block 58, where a 220,000 B/d oil project is underway with partner TotalEnergies (EPA:TTEF). First oil is expected in 2028, with significant free cash flow generation anticipated thereafter.
The Suriname development and expected cash flow profile is detailed here:
Another promising opportunity is the GranMorgu project, which APA compares favorably to 400 Midland Basin locations. According to the company, GranMorgu offers similar EUR (Estimated Ultimate Recovery) of 180 MMBO+ at approximately 30% of the capital cost ($1.1 billion versus $3.6 billion).
The economic comparison of GranMorgu to Midland Basin operations is shown in this analysis:
Financial Analysis
For full-year 2025, APA has provided guidance for average daily production of 233,000 barrels of oil and 463,000 BOE. The company has reduced its development, completion, and facilities (DC&F) capital guidance to a range of $1,950 to $2,050 million.
Third-party oil and gas trading activities are expected to contribute significantly to 2025 results, with pre-tax margin guidance of $575 million, including $123 million already realized in Q1.
The company’s balance sheet has been strengthened through several actions in Q1, including moving approximately $3.6 billion in Apache bonds to APA, reducing bonds by about $200 million, and refinancing unsecured credit facilities with a 2030 maturity.
Comprehensive guidance for Q2 and full-year 2025 is provided in this detailed table:
Conclusion
APA Corporation’s first-quarter 2025 presentation demonstrates a strategic focus on cost reduction and operational efficiency while maintaining production levels. The company is leveraging its core assets in the Permian Basin and Egypt while positioning for future growth through the Suriname development.
Despite the positive narrative in the presentation, investors should consider the context of APA’s recent performance, including the Q4 2024 earnings miss and subsequent stock price decline. The current stock price of $15.48 reflects ongoing market skepticism, though the premarket trading showed a 2.65% increase to $15.89, suggesting some positive reception to the latest quarterly results.
The success of APA’s cost-cutting initiatives and the timeline for realizing benefits from strategic investments in Suriname and Egypt will be critical factors in determining whether the company can reverse its recent stock performance and deliver value to shareholders in the coming quarters.
Full presentation:
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