Nov 5 (Reuters) - Oil and gas company APA beat

Wall Street estimates for third-quarter profit on Wednesday, as

strong demand for natural gas helped counter weaker oil

consumption.

Average natural gas prices jumped 26% over the year earlier

to $3.25 per million British thermal units during the quarter,

fueled by a surge in power demand from data centers dedicated to

artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency.

APA said quarterly average realized price for natural gas

was at $2.25 per thousand cubic feet, compared with $1.43 per

mcf a year earlier.

The company's natural gas production stood at 932 million

cubic feet per day (mmcfpd) during the quarter, compared with

786 mmcfpd a year ago.

APA posted adjusted profit of 93 cents per share for the

three months ended September 30, compared with analysts' average

estimate of 79 cents per share, according to data compiled by

LSEG.