ING Groep NV Buys New Position in Antero Resources Corporation (NYSE:AR)

Key Points

• ING Groep NV has made a new investment in Antero Resources Corporation, purchasing 94,800 shares valued at approximately $3.83 million during the first quarter.
• Analysts have raised their price target for Antero Resources, with Scotiabank increasing it from $46.00 to $53.00, reflecting a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $43.53.
• Insiders have sold a combined total of 1,125,200 shares of Antero Resources stock worth over $45.8 million in the last ninety days, while 6.70% of the stock remains owned by insiders.

ING Groep NV bought a new position in shares of Antero Resources Corporation (NYSE:AR - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 94,800 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock, valued at approximately $3,834,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CWM LLC increased its stake in Antero Resources by 109.6% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 32,725 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock worth $1,323,000 after acquiring an additional 17,113 shares during the last quarter. Slate Path Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Antero Resources during the 4th quarter worth about $35,471,000. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 411 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Antero Resources during the 1st quarter worth approximately $538,000. Finally, OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Antero Resources in the first quarter valued at approximately $284,000. 83.04% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Antero Resources Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE AR traded up $0.04 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $33.06. 2,935,021 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,916,634. Antero Resources Corporation has a twelve month low of $24.53 and a twelve month high of $44.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.06 and a beta of 0.64. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $37.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.47.

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The oil and natural gas company reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analyst estimates of $1.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.21) EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 32.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Antero Resources Corporation will post 2.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Antero Resources news, insider Yvette K. Schultz sold 25,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.86, for a total transaction of $1,004,472.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 306,819 shares in the company, valued at $12,229,805.34. This trade represents a 7.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director W Howard Keenan, Jr. sold 38,013 shares of Antero Resources stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.32, for a total transaction of $1,532,684.16. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 364,992 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,716,477.44. This trade represents a 9.43% 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 over the last quarter. 6.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on AR shares. Scotiabank raised their target price on Antero Resources from $46.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 11th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Antero Resources from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Antero Resources from $38.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 7th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Antero Resources from $41.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised their price target on shares of Antero Resources from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $43.53.

Antero Resources 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.