Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) Upgraded to “Strong-Buy” at Roth Capital

Roth Capital upgraded shares of Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) to a strong-buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning, Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on AR. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Antero Resources from $29.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, May 13th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Antero Resources from $38.00 to $34.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Antero Resources in a report on Thursday, July 18th. They set a peer perform rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Antero Resources from $32.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Antero Resources from $40.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Antero Resources has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $33.57.

Antero Resources Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AR opened at $26.58 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $29.89 and a two-hundred day moving average of $30.00. The company has a market capitalization of $8.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 132.90 and a beta of 3.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Antero Resources has a twelve month low of $20.10 and a twelve month high of $36.28.

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The oil and natural gas company reported ($0.24) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.20) by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $978.65 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $980.20 million. Antero Resources had a net margin of 1.88% and a return on equity of 0.45%. As a group, analysts expect that Antero Resources will post 0.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Antero Resources

In related news, insider Yvette K. Schultz sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.24, for a total value of $1,262,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 248,363 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,268,682.12. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 6.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AR. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. grew its position in Antero Resources by 269.4% in the second quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 3,967,300 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $129,453,000 after acquiring an additional 2,893,395 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Antero Resources by 33.7% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,537,261 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $238,985,000 after purchasing an additional 2,655,604 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Antero Resources by 28.5% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,659,033 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $128,352,000 after purchasing an additional 1,253,510 shares during the last quarter. CUSHING ASSET MANAGEMENT LP dba NXG INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT acquired a new position in Antero Resources in the first quarter valued at about $35,734,000. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC grew its stake in Antero Resources by 488.7% during the second quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 1,428,864 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $46,624,000 after buying an additional 1,186,163 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.04% of the company’s stock.

Antero Resources Company Profile

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.