Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) Trading Up 6.3% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Antero Resources Corporation (NYSE:AR) traded up 6.3% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $43.77 and last traded at $44.1030. 1,946,580 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 69% from the average session volume of 6,187,265 shares. The stock had previously closed at $41.50.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group set a $50.00 target price on Antero Resources in a report on Friday, February 13th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $36.00 price target on shares of Antero Resources in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Mizuho set a $47.00 price target on shares of Antero Resources in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Antero Resources from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, November 28th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Antero Resources from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $46.00.

Antero Resources Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $13.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.38 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $35.81 and a 200-day moving average of $34.35.

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The oil and natural gas company reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $1.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.33 billion. Antero Resources had a net margin of 12.02% and a return on equity of 6.71%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.48 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Antero Resources Corporation will post 2.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Antero Resources

In other Antero Resources news, insider Yvette K. Schultz sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.33, for a total transaction of $589,950.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 319,122 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,551,068.26. This trade represents a 4.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Benjamin A. Hardesty sold 12,000 shares of Antero Resources stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.00, for a total value of $528,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 150,242 shares in the company, valued at $6,610,648. This trade represents a 7.40% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 6.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Antero Resources

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AR. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Antero Resources by 1.2% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 29,797,653 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $1,200,249,000 after purchasing an additional 350,018 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in Antero Resources by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,171,885 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $341,368,000 after buying an additional 116,461 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Antero Resources by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 9,085,648 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $313,106,000 after buying an additional 1,115,258 shares during the period. Sourcerock Group LLC raised its position in Antero Resources by 10.6% during the 2nd quarter. Sourcerock Group LLC now owns 8,156,134 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $328,529,000 after buying an additional 783,117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its position in Antero Resources by 18.4% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,258,305 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $211,805,000 after buying an additional 817,977 shares during the last quarter. 83.04% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Antero Resources Company Profile

Antero Resources Corporation is an independent exploration and production company focused on the development of natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs) and oil properties in the Appalachian Basin of the United States. The company’s operations target the Marcellus and Utica shales, where it applies advanced drilling and completion techniques to optimize recovery from its large acreage position. Antero’s portfolio encompasses significant reserves of ethane, propane and other NGLs, alongside dry gas volumes that are positioned to serve both domestic and export markets.

Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Antero Resources holds approximately 1.8 million net acres of leasehold interests across parts of West Virginia and Ohio.