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

Antero Resources Co. (NYSE:AR) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $32.08.

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Antero Resources from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Benchmark lowered Antero Resources from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. StockNews.com raised Antero Resources to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Antero Resources from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $26.00 to $36.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Antero Resources from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Sheri Pearce sold 28,009 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.29, for a total value of $736,356.61. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 106,698 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,805,090.42. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, Director W Howard Keenan, Jr. sold 232,293 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.85, for a total value of $6,004,774.05. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,000,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $77,550,000. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Sheri Pearce sold 28,009 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.29, for a total transaction of $736,356.61. Following the sale, the insider now owns 106,698 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,805,090.42. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 477,280 shares of company stock valued at $12,490,305. 5.95% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Antero Resources

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in Antero Resources during the 1st quarter worth $1,022,000. Hartree Partners LP bought a new position in Antero Resources during the first quarter worth about $1,102,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Antero Resources in the 1st quarter worth about $1,802,000. Quent Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Antero Resources by 102.0% during the 1st quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 5,045 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $146,000 after purchasing an additional 2,547 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capstone Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Antero Resources by 42.0% during the first quarter. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC now owns 17,920 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $520,000 after purchasing an additional 5,302 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 83.04% of the company’s stock.

Antero Resources Stock Performance

Shares of AR stock opened at $33.14 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 0.29. Antero Resources has a 52 week low of $19.91 and a 52 week high of $34.69. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $28.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $25.69. The company has a market capitalization of $10.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 165.70 and a beta of 3.27.

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 14th. The oil and natural gas company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $1.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.17 billion. Antero Resources had a net margin of 1.50% and a return on equity of 0.18%. On average, analysts expect that Antero Resources will post 0.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Antero Resources

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.