A portfolio of stocks I've been building since September 3, is named Volio. It will eventually hold 52 dividend dogs. Volio is the fifth portfolio I've built (at a one dividend dog per-week pace) since 2014. Five portfolios = V for Volio!

Today I'm reviewing the fourth of five energy sector stocks striving to join my Volio folio. This could be my twenty-ninth pick for Volio!

That energy sector includes six industries all related to bringing oil and gas to market. They are: drilling, exploration and production (E&P), equipment and services, integrated, midstream, refining & marketing.(Those six oily and gassy enterprises.)

My subject today is a mid-cap oil and gas exploration and production company named, Apache Corp. Their trading ticker symbol is (APA).This is my first report about Apache Corp.

• Apache Corp is one of the largest independent exploration and production companies in the world. It operates primarily in the U.S., Egypt, the North Sea, and Suriname. As of December 31, 2018, it had total estimated proved reserves of 581 million barrels of crude oil, 234 million barrels of NGLs, and 2.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Apache Corporation was founded in 1954 and is based in Houston, Texas.

I use three key data points to gauge dividend equities or funds like Royal Apache Corp:

(1) Price

(2) Dividends

(3) Returns

Besides these three, several other keys will finally determine if a particular equity or fund is one in which to invest, or not.

These three basic keys, however, best tell whether a company has made, is making, and will make money.

APA Price

Apache's price per share closed at $24.50 Yesterday. A year ago its price was $33.09. So, in the past year its market price fell $8.59, or nearly 26%.

Assuming Apache's stock trades in the range of $20 to $35 this next year, its recent $24.50 price might rise by $5.50 to reach $30.00 by February 27, 2021, assuming upward price momentum comes back.

APA Dividends

Apache's latest declared quarterly dividend was $0.25 payable May 22. That $0.25 Q dividend equates to an annual payout of $1.00 and yields 4.08% at yesterday's $24.50 share price.

APA Gains?

Adding the $1.00 annual estimated dividend to my $5.50 estimate of Apache Corp price upside shows a $6.50 potential gross gain, per share, which will be reduced by any costs to trade those shares.

Say we put a little under $1,000.00 today, in Apache Corp. At its recent $24.50 price, that would buy 40 shares of Apache.

A $10 broker fee paid half at purchase and half at sale could cost us $0.25 per share.

Subtracting that $0.25 brokerage cost from the estimated $6.50 gross estimated gain per share, leaves a net gain of $6.25 X 40 shares = $250.00 or a 25.5% net gain on a $980.00 investment.

Therefore, Apache Corp, shows a possible 25.5% net gain including an 4.08% dividend yield. It could be more, it could be less.

The above speculation is based on past year performance. It remains to be seen to see if Apache Corp, is worth your time and money.