Antero Resources Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:AR)

Antero Resources Co. (NYSE:AR) was the target of some unusual options trading on Monday. Investors purchased 18,974 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 141% compared to the typical volume of 7,872 put options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on AR. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Antero Resources from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Raymond James reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Antero Resources in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. UBS Group increased their price target on Antero Resources from $41.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Antero Resources from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Antero Resources from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Antero Resources has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $42.72.

Antero Resources Stock Up 0.8%

AR stock opened at $39.72 on Wednesday. Antero Resources has a 12 month low of $24.53 and a 12 month high of $42.63. The firm has a market cap of $12.33 billion, a PE ratio of 124.13 and a beta of 0.66. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $37.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $35.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.35 and a quick ratio of 0.35.

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The oil and natural gas company reported $0.78 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $1.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.28 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.12 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Antero Resources will post 2.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Antero Resources

In other Antero Resources news, Director W Howard Keenan, Jr. sold 38,013 shares of Antero Resources stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.32, for a total value of $1,532,684.16. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 364,992 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,716,477.44. This trade represents a 9.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Yvette K. Schultz sold 25,200 shares of Antero Resources stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.86, for a total value of $1,004,472.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 306,819 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,229,805.34. The trade was a 7.59% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,125,200 shares of company stock worth $45,887,466. 6.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Antero Resources

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AR. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Antero Resources during the 4th quarter worth approximately $140,020,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of Antero Resources by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 19,661,491 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $689,135,000 after buying an additional 2,201,429 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in shares of Antero Resources by 133.1% during the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 3,743,957 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $151,406,000 after buying an additional 2,137,538 shares during the period. Castle Hook Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Antero Resources during the 4th quarter worth approximately $60,980,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Antero Resources by 44.3% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,440,328 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $179,567,000 after buying an additional 1,362,370 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.04% of the company’s stock.

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.