Antero Resources Corporation $AR Shares Acquired by First Trust Advisors LP

Key Points

• First Trust Advisors LP significantly boosted its stake in Antero Resources, increasing its position by 124.8% in the first quarter to 1,765,305 shares worth about $74.9 million.
• Several other institutional investors also adjusted holdings, and institutional ownership stands at 83.04% of the company’s stock.
• Analyst sentiment remains mostly positive: Antero Resources carries a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $48.56, though some firms have recently trimmed targets or downgraded the stock.

First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in Antero Resources Corporation (NYSE:AR - Free Report) by 124.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,765,305 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock after buying an additional 980,039 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 0.57% of Antero Resources worth $74,920,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Antero Resources in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its stake in shares of Antero Resources by 59.2% in the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 928 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 345 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Antero Resources during the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Antero Resources during the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, SBI Okasan Asset Management Co.Ltd. acquired a new stake in Antero Resources during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.04% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Antero Resources

In other news, insider Yvette K. Schultz sold 39,490 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.27, for a total transaction of $1,550,772.30. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 277,665 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,903,904.55. The trade was a 12.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Michael N. Kennedy sold 185,826 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.33, for a total transaction of $7,308,536.58. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,085,192 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,680,601.36. The trade was a 14.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 4.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on AR shares. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Antero Resources from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Williams Trading set a $56.00 price objective on shares of Antero Resources in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Antero Resources from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Antero Resources from $56.00 to $48.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Antero Resources from $56.00 to $50.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Antero Resources has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $48.56.

Antero Resources Price Performance

AR stock opened at $35.31 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $10.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.46 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.40. Antero Resources Corporation has a 1 year low of $29.10 and a 1 year high of $45.75. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $35.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $36.31.

About Antero Resources

Antero Resources Corporation is an independent exploration and production company focused on the development of natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs) and oil properties in the Appalachian Basin of the United States. The company's operations target the Marcellus and Utica shales, where it applies advanced drilling and completion techniques to optimize recovery from its large acreage position. Antero's portfolio encompasses significant reserves of ethane, propane and other NGLs, alongside dry gas volumes that are positioned to serve both domestic and export markets.

Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Antero Resources holds approximately 1.8 million net acres of leasehold interests across parts of West Virginia and Ohio.

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