Investors Buy High Volume of Antero Midstream Put Options (NYSE:AM)

Antero Midstream Co. (NYSE:AM) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Monday. Traders acquired 26,566 put options on the stock. This is an increase of 685% compared to the typical volume of 3,383 put options.

Antero Midstream Stock Performance

Shares of Antero Midstream stock traded down $0.11 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $16.16. 402,069 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,786,610. Antero Midstream has a 12 month low of $13.02 and a 12 month high of $16.99. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $15.83 and a 200 day simple moving average of $15.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.17. The company has a market capitalization of $7.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.44 and a beta of 2.31.

Antero Midstream (NYSE:AM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The pipeline company reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by ($0.01). Antero Midstream had a return on equity of 18.82% and a net margin of 36.24%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Antero Midstream will post 0.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Antero Midstream Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 29th were given a dividend of $0.225 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 29th. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.57%. Antero Midstream’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 108.44%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AM. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Antero Midstream from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com raised Antero Midstream from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Antero Midstream during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. lifted its holdings in Antero Midstream by 58.6% in the fourth quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 2,706 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Antero Midstream by 149.4% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,100 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 1,857 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in Antero Midstream in the third quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Antero Midstream by 21.9% in the third quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,545 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $68,000 after buying an additional 818 shares during the period. 53.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Antero Midstream

Antero Midstream Corporation owns, operates, and develops midstream energy assets in the Appalachian Basin. It operates in two segments, Gathering and Processing, and Water Handling. The Gathering and Processing segment includes a network of gathering pipelines and compressor stations that collects and processes production from Antero Resources' wells in West Virginia and Ohio.