Barclays Increases Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) Price Target to $43.00

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR - Get Free Report) had its price target boosted by analysts at Barclays from $38.00 to $43.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "equal weight" rating on the oil and natural gas company's stock. Barclays's target price would suggest a potential upside of 15.97% from the company's previous close.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on AR. Raymond James Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Antero Resources in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Antero Resources from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $58.00 price objective on shares of Antero Resources in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Mizuho raised Antero Resources from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $47.00 to $49.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Antero Resources from $42.00 to $40.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $43.50.

Antero Resources Price Performance

Antero Resources stock traded down $0.18 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $37.08. 4,678,182 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,345,789. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The stock's fifty day moving average is $39.10 and its 200-day moving average is $37.81. Antero Resources has a 12 month low of $24.53 and a 12 month high of $44.02. The stock has a market cap of $11.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.12 and a beta of 0.68.

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The oil and natural gas company reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.10. Antero Resources had a return on equity of 4.01% and a net margin of 5.96%. The firm had revenue of $1.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.28 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.12 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 20.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Antero Resources will post 2.74 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director W Howard Keenan, Jr. sold 38,013 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.32, for a total value of $1,532,684.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 364,992 shares in the company, valued at $14,716,477.44. This trade represents a 9.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Yvette K. Schultz sold 25,200 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the transaction, the insider owned 306,819 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,229,805.34. This trade represents a 7.59% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 1,125,200 shares of company stock valued at $45,887,466 in the last three months. Insiders own 6.70% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Antero Resources

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Garde Capital Inc. raised its stake in shares of Antero Resources by 5.0% during the 2nd quarter. Garde Capital Inc. now owns 23,745 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock valued at $956,000 after buying an additional 1,132 shares during the last quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Antero Resources by 22.8% during the 1st quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 184,972 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock valued at $7,480,000 after buying an additional 34,311 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Antero Resources during the 1st quarter valued at about $8,757,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Antero Resources during the 1st quarter valued at about $6,880,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Antero Resources by 10.1% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 4,054 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock valued at $164,000 after buying an additional 371 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.04% of the company's stock.

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.