Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) Trading Up 6.3% – Should You Buy?

Antero Resources Corporation (NYSE:AR) shares rose 6.3% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $43.77 and last traded at $44.1030. Approximately 1,946,580 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 69% from the average daily volume of 6,187,265 shares. The stock had previously closed at $41.50.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AR has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $39.00 price target (down from $44.00) on shares of Antero Resources in a research note on Monday, December 8th. TD Cowen raised shares of Antero Resources to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Roth Mkm reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $36.00 target price on shares of Antero Resources in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Antero Resources from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Antero Resources in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $46.00.

Antero Resources Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $13.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.47 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a fifty day moving average of $35.36 and a 200-day moving average of $34.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.55.

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The oil and natural gas company reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.13. Antero Resources had a return on equity of 6.71% and a net margin of 12.02%.The business had revenue of $1.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.33 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.48 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 20.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Antero Resources Corporation will post 2.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Yvette K. Schultz sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.33, for a total transaction of $589,950.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 319,122 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,551,068.26. The trade was a 4.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Antero Resources

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Antero Resources during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Antero Resources in the third quarter worth $30,000. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in Antero Resources by 59.2% in the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 928 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 345 shares during the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in Antero Resources by 114.2% in the 2nd quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 938 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Antero Resources in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. 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.