APA Corp slightly misses Q3 profit estimates, reduces 2025 capital forecast

Nov 6 (Reuters) - APA Corp (APA) reduced 2025 capital forecast after the U.S. oil and gas firm missed third-quarter profit estimates by one cent per share on Wednesday, as lower prices offset higher production.

Oil prices fell in the quarter after a larger-than-expected Federal Reserve interest rate cut sparked concerns about the U.S. economy and global demand.

The company said quarterly average oil price was down 9.4% at $78.06 per barrel, compared with last year.

However, quarterly oil production was up 23.4% at 256,306 barrels of oil per day (bopd) from the previous year, but natgas production was down 4% to 786 millions of cubic feet per day (MMcfpd) in the same period.

Last month, the U.S. shale producer said it curtailed about 103 MMcfpd of natural gas production in the third quarter, in response to weak commodity prices. APA has curtailed production in all three quarters of fiscal 2024.

APA said it plans to reduce capital in the range of $2.5 billion to $2.6 billion as a result of a softer oil price outlook, below its current year expectation of $2.7 billion.

The Houston, Texas-based company also said its upstream capital investment in the fourth quarter is expected to be about $645 million, which includes $80 million of incremental capital for Suriname, Alaska and Egypt.

Last month, France's TotalEnergies and APA announced a positive investment decision for Suriname's most promising oil and gas project, costing $10.5 billion, Block 58, expected to inaugurate the nation's offshore output.

The company reported an adjusted profit of $1 per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30, compared with analysts' average estimate of $1.01 per share, according to data compiled by LSEG. (Reporting by Tanay Dhumal in Bengaluru; editing by Alan Barona)