Antero Resources Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:AR)

Antero Resources Corporation (NYSE:AR) saw some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Investors acquired 23,523 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 50% compared to the average volume of 15,670 put options.

Antero Resources Stock Down 4.5%

AR stock traded down $1.84 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $38.82. The stock had a trading volume of 3,974,927 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,296,073. Antero Resources has a 1-year low of $29.10 and a 1-year high of $45.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The company has a market capitalization of $11.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.23 and a beta of 0.42. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $38.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $35.22.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Antero Resources from $41.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Antero Resources from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Mizuho set a $47.00 target price on shares of Antero Resources in a report on Friday, December 12th. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Antero Resources to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $50.00 target price on shares of Antero Resources in a report on Friday, February 13th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $47.60.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Antero Resources news, Director Benjamin A. Hardesty sold 12,000 shares of Antero Resources 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 transaction, the director owned 150,242 shares in the company, valued at $6,610,648. This trade represents a 7.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Yvette K. Schultz sold 15,000 shares of Antero Resources stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.33, for a total transaction of $589,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 319,122 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,551,068.26. This trade represents a 4.49% 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 Investors Weigh In On Antero Resources

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AR. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Antero Resources by 16,498.3% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 9,627 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $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% in 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 worth $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% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 19,921 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $806,000 after purchasing an additional 3,169 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 2,616 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Antero Resources by 24.8% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 600,399 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $24,184,000 after buying an additional 119,305 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.04% of the company’s stock.

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.