Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) Hits New 1-Year High – Here’s Why

Shares of Antero Resources Co. (NYSE:AR) hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $41.59 and last traded at $41.48, with a volume of 893340 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $40.77.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on AR. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Antero Resources from $29.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Williams Trading set a $48.00 target price on shares of Antero Resources in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted 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. Barclays increased their price target on Antero Resources from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Benchmark reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Antero Resources in a research report on Friday, January 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $41.06.

Antero Resources Stock Performance

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 company has a market cap of $13.20 billion, a PE ratio of 132.77 and a beta of 3.38. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $38.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $33.32.

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

Insider Activity at Antero Resources

In other news, Director W Howard Keenan, Jr. sold 200,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the director now owns 1,800,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $71,568,000. The trade was a 10.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 6.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Antero Resources

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AR. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund raised its holdings in shares of Antero Resources by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 59,482 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $2,085,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in shares of Antero Resources by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 14,060 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $493,000 after purchasing an additional 319 shares during the last quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group increased its position in shares of Antero Resources by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 16,597 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $582,000 after purchasing an additional 354 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its stake in Antero Resources by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 14,355 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $503,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caprock Group LLC lifted its position in Antero Resources by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 58,401 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $2,047,000 after purchasing an additional 374 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.04% of the company’s stock.

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.