Bank of Nova Scotia Cuts Stock Holdings in Antero Resources Corporation $AR

Key Points

• Bank of Nova Scotia cut its Antero Resources stake by 95.5% in the first quarter, selling 266,458 shares and retaining 12,614 shares valued at approximately $535,000.
• Other institutional investors increased their positions, and hedge funds and other institutions collectively own 83.04% of Antero Resources. However, two company insiders sold a combined roughly $8.9 million in shares under a pre-arranged trading plan.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $48.59 versus the stock’s recent price near $35.25, though some firms lowered targets and Zacks reduced future EPS estimates.

Bank of Nova Scotia trimmed its position in Antero Resources Corporation (NYSE:AR - Free Report) by 95.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,614 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock after selling 266,458 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia's holdings in Antero Resources were worth $535,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Antero Resources by 16,498.3% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 9,627 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock valued at $389,000 after acquiring an additional 9,569 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in shares of Antero Resources by 7.9% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 590,555 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock worth $23,882,000 after purchasing an additional 43,312 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its holdings in shares of Antero Resources by 18.9% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 19,921 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock worth $806,000 after buying an additional 3,169 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Antero Resources by 701.3% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,989 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock valued at $120,000 after buying an additional 2,616 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Antero Resources by 22.5% during the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 36,500 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock valued at $1,470,000 after buying an additional 6,700 shares in the last quarter. 83.04% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Antero Resources News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Antero Resources this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter results exceeded expectations. Antero reported revenue of $1.56 billion, up 20.2% year over year and above the $1.53 billion consensus estimate. Reported EPS of $0.90 topped the $0.84 analyst estimate; another adjusted-earnings measure cited by Zacks showed EPS of $0.76 versus a $0.75 consensus and $0.35 a year earlier. Antero Resources Q2 earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Record production and higher guidance strengthened the outlook. Antero Resources highlighted record second-quarter production, revenue growth and stronger cash flow, and raised its 2026 output guidance following strategic acquisitions. Greater volumes could support operating leverage if commodity prices remain favorable. AR Q2 earnings beat estimates on record production gains
• Positive Sentiment: Management sees margin upside over several years. The earnings call reportedly outlined an optimistic operating outlook, including opportunities for sustained margin improvement. This supports the potential for stronger free cash flow and shareholder returns over time. Antero Resources earnings call maps multi-year margin upside
• Neutral Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target to $46 while maintaining an “equal weight” rating. The higher target signals valuation upside, but the unchanged neutral rating suggests the firm does not view the recent earnings strength as sufficient to warrant a more bullish stance. Barclays raises Antero Resources price target
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research reduced several future EPS estimates. Cuts included forecasts for full-year 2026 EPS to $3.71 from $4.12 and full-year 2027 EPS to $3.53 from $4.16, along with reductions for several 2026–27 quarters. Zacks retained a “Hold” rating, tempering the positive earnings reaction. Antero Resources analyst estimates

Antero Resources Price Performance

AR opened at $35.25 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.92 billion, a PE ratio of 10.13 and a beta of 0.33. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $34.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $36.40. Antero Resources Corporation has a 52-week low of $29.10 and a 52-week high of $45.75.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on AR. Barclays increased their target price on Antero Resources from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Antero Resources from $56.00 to $50.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Wolfe Research reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $48.00 price objective on shares of Antero Resources in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Antero Resources from $49.00 to $45.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Williams Trading set a $56.00 target price on Antero Resources in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $48.59.

Antero Resources Company Profile

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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