Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) Upgraded by Zacks Research to Strong-Buy Rating

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note released on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Barclays increased their target price on Antero Resources from $41.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. TD Cowen upgraded Antero Resources to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Antero Resources in a report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Antero Resources from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on Antero Resources from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $48.56.

Antero Resources Price Performance

Antero Resources stock opened at $38.52 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.07, a PEG ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.42. Antero Resources has a 52-week low of $29.10 and a 52-week high of $45.75. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $38.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $35.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.55.

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The oil and natural gas company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.13. Antero Resources had a return on equity of 6.71% and a net margin of 12.02%.The firm had revenue of $1.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.33 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.48 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Antero Resources will post 4.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Antero Resources

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Antero Resources

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in AR. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Antero Resources by 16,498.3% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 9,627 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $389,000 after purchasing an additional 9,569 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in shares of Antero Resources by 7.9% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 590,555 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $23,882,000 after purchasing an additional 43,312 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its position in shares of Antero Resources by 18.9% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 19,921 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $806,000 after purchasing an additional 3,169 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Antero Resources by 701.3% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,989 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $120,000 after acquiring an additional 2,616 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its holdings in Antero Resources by 22.5% in the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 36,500 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $1,470,000 after acquiring an additional 6,700 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.