Which Is a Better Investment, APA Corp (US) or ConocoPhillips Stock?

By Cynthia McLaughlin
September 10, 2026
Large versus logo comparing two stocks in the same industry
Featured Tickers:

Sifting through countless of stocks in the Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in APA Corporation or ConocoPhillips because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how APA Corporation and ConocoPhillips compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About APA Corporation and ConocoPhillips

APA Corporation, an independent energy company, explores for, develops, and produces natural gas, crude oil, and natural gas liquids. The company has oil and gas operations in the United States, Egypt, and North Sea. It also has exploration and appraisal activities in Suriname, as well as holds interests in projects located in Uruguay and internationally. APA Corporation was incorporated in 1954 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

ConocoPhillips explores for, produces, transports, and markets crude oil, bitumen, natural gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and natural gas liquids. It operates in five segments: Alaska; Lower 48; Canada; Europe, Middle East and North Africa; and Asia Pacific. The company’s portfolio includes unconventional plays in North America; conventional assets in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia; global LNG developments; oil sands assets in Canada; and an inventory of global exploration prospects. It serves in the United States, Canada, China, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Malaysia, Norway, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and internationally. ConocoPhillips was founded in 1917 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Latest Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels and APA Corporation, ConocoPhillips Stock News

As of September 9, 2026, APA Corporation had a $15.7 billion market capitalization, compared to the Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels median of $2.7 million. APA Corporation’s stock is NA in 2026, NA in the previous five trading days and up 101.44% in the past year.

Currently, APA Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 9.5. APA Corporation’s trailing 12-month revenue is $8.6 billion with a 19.6% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 9.2%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $5.969 per share for the current fiscal year. APA Corporation currently has a 2.2% dividend yield.

Currently, ConocoPhillips’s price-earnings ratio is 18.1. ConocoPhillips’s trailing 12-month revenue is $64.5 billion with a 14.4% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 35.5%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $10.514 per share for the current fiscal year. ConocoPhillips currently has a 2.5% dividend yield.

How We Compare APA Corporation and ConocoPhillips Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at APA Corporation and ConocoPhillips’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

Learn more about A+ Investor here!

Sign Up to Receive a Free Special Report Showing How A+ Grades Can Help You Make Smarter Investment Decisions

APA Corporation and ConocoPhillips Stock Value Grades

Company Ticker Value
APA Corporation APA A
ConocoPhillips COP C

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection.

Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade derives from a stock’s value score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are a good value and so on.

APA Corporation has a Value Score of 88, which is Deep Value. ConocoPhillips has a Value Score of 60, which is Average.

The Value Stock Winner: APA Corporation

As you can clearly see from the Value Grade breakdown above, APA Corporation is considered to have better value than ConocoPhillips. For investors who focus solely on a company’s valuation, APA Corporation could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

APA Corporation and ConocoPhillips Growth Grades

Company Ticker Growth
APA Corporation APA B
ConocoPhillips COP C

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

APA Corporation has a Growth Score of 63, which is Strong. ConocoPhillips has a Growth Score of 44, which is Average.

The Growth Grade Winner: APA Corporation

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, APA Corporation has a more attractive growth grade than ConocoPhillips. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, APA Corporation could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

APA Corporation and ConocoPhillips’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company Ticker Earnings Estimate
APA Corporation APA C
ConocoPhillips COP B

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

APA Corporation has a Earnings Estimate Score of 50, which is Neutral. ConocoPhillips has a Earnings Estimate Score of 74, which is Positive.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: ConocoPhillips

As you can clearly see from the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, ConocoPhillips has a better Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade than APA Corporation. For those who are specifically looking for companies with better short-term prospects when compared to other companies in the same industry, ConocoPhillips could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Don’t Forget Your Free Special Report on How A+ Grades Can Help You Make Investment Decisions

Other APA Corporation and ConocoPhillips Grades

In addition to Estimate Revisions, Value and Growth, A+ Investor also provides grades for Momentum and Quality.

AAII Platinum Banner

Momentum grades help uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming.

AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the ranking of key metrics. Specifically, the quality grade is the percentile rank of the composite of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and F-Score.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether APA Corporation and ConocoPhillips pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, APA Corporation or ConocoPhillips Stock?

Overall, APA Corporation stock has a Value Score of 88, Growth Score of 63 and Estimate Revisions Score of 50.

ConocoPhillips stock has a Value Score of 60, Growth Score of 44 and Estimate Revisions Score of 74.

Comparing APA Corporation and ConocoPhillips’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

Learn More About A+ Investor

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.



Find New Stock Opportunities With Included With AAII Platinum
Est Rev: Up 5% Screen: 21.7% Compared to S&P 500
at only 6.9%

Since Inception. Data as of 12/31/2024.




Try AAII Platinum and get full access to
769.3% Stock Superstars Portfolio Total Return Since Inception
Compare to:
710.3% iShare DOW Jones
U.S. Index ETF (IYY)

SSR Group 3 O'Shaughnessy portfolio has a 411.2% gain since inception performance compared to IYY at only 119.1%% Performance as of 11/29/24.

Get your free copy of our special report analyzing the tech stocks most likely to outperform the market.

Download the FREE Report Here:

BECOME A MEMBER FOR ONLY $2

Get access to powerful investment discovery tools and a wealth of investment education to help you achieve your financial goals.