Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Scotiabank Analyst Says

Key Points

• Scotiabank raised Antero Resources' price target from $53.00 to $55.00, suggesting a potential upside of 68.64% from its current price.
• Analysts have generally positive views on Antero Resources, with a majority giving it a Moderate Buy rating and an average target price of $43.65.
• Insider Yvette K. Schultz sold 25,200 shares of the stock, reducing her ownership by 7.59%, amidst significant increases in holdings by institutional investors.

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR - Get Free Report) had its price target upped by investment analysts at Scotiabank from $53.00 to $55.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "sector outperform" rating on the oil and natural gas company's stock. Scotiabank's target price indicates a potential upside of 68.64% from the company's current price.

AR has been the topic of several other research reports. Mizuho raised Antero Resources from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $47.00 to $49.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Antero Resources from $38.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Antero Resources from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $39.00 price target on shares of Antero Resources and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Raymond James Financial upped their target price on Antero Resources from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Antero Resources has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $43.65.

Antero Resources Trading Up 0.8%

Antero Resources stock opened at $32.61 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.30 and a quick ratio of 0.30. Antero Resources has a one year low of $24.53 and a one year high of $44.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.08 billion, a PE ratio of 20.71 and a beta of 0.64. The business's fifty day moving average is $36.99 and its 200 day moving average is $37.29.

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The oil and natural gas company reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.68 by ($0.33). The firm had revenue of $1.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.30 billion. Antero Resources had a return on equity of 6.48% and a net margin of 10.13%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 32.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted ($0.21) earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Antero Resources will post 2.74 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Antero Resources news, insider Yvette K. Schultz sold 25,200 shares of Antero Resources stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.86, for a total value of $1,004,472.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 306,819 shares in the company, valued at $12,229,805.34. The trade was a 7.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 6.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Antero Resources

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in Antero Resources by 133.1% during the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 3,743,957 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock worth $151,406,000 after buying an additional 2,137,538 shares during the last quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP purchased a new stake in Antero Resources during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $60,980,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in Antero Resources by 44.3% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,440,328 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock valued at $179,567,000 after acquiring an additional 1,362,370 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Antero Resources by 12.1% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 11,829,263 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock valued at $414,628,000 after acquiring an additional 1,274,760 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Webs Creek Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Antero Resources during the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,525,000. 83.04% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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