Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) Stock Rating Upgraded by Mizuho

Mizuho upgraded shares of Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They currently have $49.00 price objective on the oil and natural gas company’s stock, up from their previous price objective of $47.00.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on AR. Benchmark restated a “hold” rating on shares of Antero Resources in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Raymond James increased their price objective on shares of Antero Resources from $44.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Antero Resources from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Antero Resources from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $58.00 target price on shares of Antero Resources in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $42.72.

Antero Resources Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of AR stock opened at $40.19 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 125.60 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $36.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $35.47. Antero Resources has a 1 year low of $24.53 and a 1 year high of $42.63.

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The oil and natural gas company reported $0.78 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.10. Antero Resources had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 0.74%. The company had revenue of $1.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.28 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.12 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Antero Resources will post 2.74 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director W Howard Keenan, Jr. sold 1,061,987 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.82, for a total value of $43,350,309.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 38,013 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,551,690.66. This trade represents a 96.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders have sold 1,300,000 shares of company stock worth $52,834,994 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 6.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Antero Resources

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. PDT Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Antero Resources by 18.6% in the first quarter. PDT Partners LLC now owns 217,284 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $8,787,000 after buying an additional 34,100 shares in the last quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. boosted its position in Antero Resources by 77.6% during the first quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. now owns 18,278 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $739,000 after purchasing an additional 7,984 shares during the period. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC bought a new position in Antero Resources during the first quarter worth $402,000. Second Line Capital LLC boosted its position in Antero Resources by 7.2% during the first quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 11,118 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $450,000 after purchasing an additional 743 shares during the period. Finally, Engine NO. 1 LLC bought a new position in Antero Resources during the first quarter worth $5,581,000. 83.04% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Antero Resources Company Profile

Antero Resources Corporation, an independent oil and natural gas company, engages in the development, production, exploration, and acquisition of natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs), and oil properties in the United States. It operates in three segments: Exploration and Development; Marketing; and Equity Method Investment in Antero Midstream.