Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) Hits New 52-Week High – Here’s What Happened

Antero Resources Co. (NYSE:AR) shares reached 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 trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $40.77.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on AR. Benchmark reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Antero Resources in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup raised their price target on Antero Resources from $29.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Barclays increased their target price on Antero Resources from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Antero Resources from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Antero Resources from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Antero Resources has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $41.06.

Antero Resources Trading Up 0.7 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock has a market cap of $12.77 billion, a PE ratio of 128.29 and a beta of 3.38. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $38.37 and a 200 day moving average of $33.10.

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

Insider Transactions at Antero Resources

In related news, Director W Howard Keenan, Jr. sold 200,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,800,000 shares in the company, valued at $71,568,000. The trade was a 10.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 6.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its holdings in Antero Resources by 85.1% in the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 167,882 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $4,810,000 after purchasing an additional 77,193 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in shares of Antero Resources by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,664,628 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $76,342,000 after buying an additional 122,815 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Antero Resources by 1.5% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,929,424 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $55,278,000 after acquiring an additional 27,617 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. grew its position in shares of Antero Resources by 15.9% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 178,053 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $5,101,000 after purchasing an additional 24,455 shares during the period. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Antero Resources by 62.7% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 281,246 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $8,058,000 after purchasing an additional 108,373 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.