Natixis Grows Stock Holdings in Antero Resources Co. (NYSE:AR)

Natixis increased its holdings in Antero Resources Co. (NYSE:AR - Free Report) by 103.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 33,999 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock after buying an additional 17,305 shares during the period. Natixis' holdings in Antero Resources were worth $1,192,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Antero Resources in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $210,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Antero Resources by 40.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 756,128 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock worth $21,209,000 after acquiring an additional 218,517 shares during the last quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC grew its position in Antero Resources by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 21,219 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock worth $744,000 after acquiring an additional 1,280 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Antero Resources by 15.8% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,064 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock valued at $107,000 after acquiring an additional 418 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Everence Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Antero Resources during the fourth quarter valued at about $365,000. Institutional investors own 83.04% of the company's stock.

Antero Resources Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of Antero Resources stock traded up $0.15 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $36.08. 1,813,476 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,125,167. The company has a market cap of $11.23 billion, a PE ratio of 112.41 and a beta of 3.08. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $36.54 and a 200-day moving average of $34.66. Antero Resources Co. has a 12 month low of $24.53 and a 12 month high of $42.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.35.

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The oil and natural gas company reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, equities analysts expect that Antero Resources Co. will post 2.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen upgraded Antero Resources from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $40.00 to $46.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $58.00 target price on shares of Antero Resources in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Williams Trading set a $48.00 price target on shares of Antero Resources in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Antero Resources in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Antero Resources from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $42.44.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Antero Resources news, Director W Howard Keenan, Jr. sold 200,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.76, for a total transaction of $7,952,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,800,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $71,568,000. This trade represents a 10.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 6.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.