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Stock Comparison · Industry comparison · Oil & Gas E&P

APA vs ConocoPhillips: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

ConocoPhillips holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across growth and stability. APA still has the edge on profitability, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. The market setup is broadly comparable for both — no clear directional signal from price behavior. The market is not adding a decisive signal either way — the structural read carries the weight.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-08-16

The lead is spread across growth and stability, rather than sitting in one isolated gap. The overall score gap is 8 points in favour of ConocoPhillips.

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Oil & Gas E&P

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. APA and COP share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how APA and ConocoPhillips each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
APA
APA Corporation
58
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
COP
ConocoPhillips
66
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: APA vs COP Profitability 80 49 Stability 30 72 Valuation 88 80 Growth 9 64 APA COP
Gap Ranking
#1 Growth +55
#2 Stability +42
#3 Profitability +31
#4 Valuation +8
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for APA and COP Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer APACOP Relative valuation Structural strength

The price setup looks more supportive for ConocoPhillips, but APA Corporation still has the stronger structure.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where APA and COP each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY APA Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 4 pct gap COP Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 95th 99th
APA (95th percentile) and COP (99th percentile) both sit in the upper portion of their own 5-year ranges. The historical entry context is broadly similar for both. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Growth
On growth, ConocoPhillips is positioned higher in the group, while APA Corporation is closer to the middle.
Stability
On stability, ConocoPhillips ranks near the top of the group; APA Corporation sits in the weaker half.
Growth — Dominant Gap
APA
9
COP
64
Gap+55in favour of COP

Revenue growth reinforces the category-level growth lead.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Profitability still favours APA, with a 24.8-point operating margin advantage keeping the comparison from looking fully resolved.

What this means for the comparison

The lead is built on both growth and stability — though profitability still provides a counterweight.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the APA vs COP comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Other comparisons with conflicting dimension signals

Explore how APA and COP each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.