Antero Resources Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:AR)

Antero Resources Co. (NYSE:AR - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock investors purchased 19,704 put options on the company. This is an increase of 160% compared to the average daily volume of 7,576 put options.

Antero Resources Price Performance

NYSE:AR traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $35.96. 2,075,353 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,126,464. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $36.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $34.66. Antero Resources has a 52-week low of $24.53 and a 52-week high of $42.63. The company has a market cap of $11.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 112.43 and a beta of 3.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21.

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The oil and natural gas company reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.14. Antero Resources had a return on equity of 0.74% and a net margin of 2.31%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Antero Resources will post 2.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director W Howard Keenan, Jr. sold 200,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the director now owns 1,800,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $71,568,000. This represents a 10.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 6.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Antero Resources

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AR. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Antero Resources during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Antero Resources in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Spire Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Antero Resources in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Antero Resources in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Antero Resources by 64.7% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,046 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 411 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.04% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AR. Benchmark reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Antero Resources in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Antero Resources from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of 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. lifted their price target on shares of Antero Resources from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Antero Resources from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $42.44.

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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