Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Has $72.30 Million Stock Holdings in Antero Resources Corporation (NYSE:AR)

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Antero Resources Corporation by 41.6%, holding approximately 1.79 million shares valued at about $72.3 million, making it the 11th largest position in its portfolio.
• Antero Resources reported earnings per share of $0.35 for the last quarter, missing estimates by $0.33, but its quarterly revenue increased by 32.6% year-over-year, amounting to $1.30 billion.
• Several analysts have raised their price targets for Antero Resources, with the average price target now at $44.18, indicating a positive outlook for the stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Antero Resources Corporation (NYSE:AR - Free Report) by 41.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,787,785 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock after buying an additional 525,180 shares during the period. Antero Resources accounts for approximately 0.6% of Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. owned 0.58% of Antero Resources worth $72,298,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AR. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Antero Resources during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Antero Resources during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in 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 in the last quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. acquired a new stake in Antero Resources during the 1st quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Antero Resources during the 1st quarter worth $56,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.04% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Antero Resources from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Antero Resources from $38.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Antero Resources from $41.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Raymond James Financial raised their price objective on shares of Antero Resources from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Antero Resources from $46.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $44.18.

Antero Resources Trading Down 3.6%

AR stock traded down $1.26 on Friday, hitting $33.67. 6,071,332 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,731,573. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.30 and a quick ratio of 0.39. Antero Resources Corporation has a twelve month low of $24.53 and a twelve month high of $44.01. The business's fifty day moving average is $37.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $37.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.45 and a beta of 0.64.

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 for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.68 by ($0.33). Antero Resources had a net margin of 10.13% and a return on equity of 6.48%. The firm had revenue of $1.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.30 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.21) earnings per share. Antero Resources's revenue for the quarter was up 32.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Antero Resources Corporation will post 2.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Yvette K. Schultz sold 25,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at $12,229,805.34. This trade represents a 7.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director W Howard Keenan, Jr. sold 38,013 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.32, for a total transaction of $1,532,684.16. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 364,992 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,716,477.44. The trade was a 9.43% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 1,125,200 shares of company stock worth $45,887,466 over the last three months. 6.70% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.