Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) Reaches New 1-Year High – Here’s What Happened

Antero Resources Corporation (NYSE:AR)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $44.37 and last traded at $43.3110, with a volume of 9844295 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $41.50.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on AR. Barclays raised their price target on Antero Resources from $41.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group set a $50.00 target price on Antero Resources in a research report on Friday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $39.00 target price (down from $44.00) on shares of Antero Resources in a report on Monday, December 8th. Roth Mkm restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $36.00 price target on shares of Antero Resources in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Benchmark raised shares of Antero Resources from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $44.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Antero Resources currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $46.00.

Antero Resources Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $35.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $34.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.36 billion, a PE ratio of 21.44 and a beta of 0.52.

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) last announced its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $1.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.33 billion. Antero Resources had a return on equity of 6.71% and a net margin of 12.02%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 20.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.48 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Antero Resources Corporation will post 2.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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 transaction of $528,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 150,242 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,610,648. The trade was a 7.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Yvette K. Schultz sold 15,000 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the insider owned 319,122 shares in the company, valued at $12,551,068.26. This trade represents a 4.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 6.30% 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. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Antero Resources in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Antero Resources in the third quarter worth about $30,000. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in shares of Antero Resources by 59.2% during the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 928 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 345 shares during the period. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Antero Resources by 114.2% during the second quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 938 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Antero Resources during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 83.04% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.