Antero Resources Co. (NYSE:AR) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Antero Resources Co. (NYSE:AR) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $39.44.

A number of research firms recently issued reports on AR. StockNews.com raised shares of Antero Resources to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Antero Resources from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Benchmark reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Antero Resources in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Antero Resources from $29.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Antero Resources from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director W Howard Keenan, Jr. sold 200,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.76, for a total value of $7,952,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,800,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $71,568,000. This trade represents a 10.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 6.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AR. Creative Planning increased its stake in Antero Resources by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 22,869 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $655,000 after buying an additional 1,813 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Antero Resources by 741.2% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,795 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $137,000 after acquiring an additional 4,225 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates grew its holdings in Antero Resources by 14.1% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 477,023 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $13,667,000 after acquiring an additional 58,806 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in Antero Resources by 19.9% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,222 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $121,000 after acquiring an additional 702 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in Antero Resources by 36.3% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,747,304 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $50,060,000 after acquiring an additional 464,970 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.04% of the company’s stock.

Antero Resources Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AR opened at $35.53 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.35. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $37.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $31.90. Antero Resources has a fifty-two week low of $24.53 and a fifty-two week high of $41.53. The firm has a market cap of $11.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 111.05 and a beta of 3.33.

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The oil and natural gas company reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.14. Antero Resources had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 0.74%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Antero Resources will post 2.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.