Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Cuts Holdings in Antero Resources Corporation $AR

Key Points

• Jefferies cut holdings in Antero Resources by 13.2% in Q3, selling 258,241 shares and leaving it with 1,698,677 shares (about $57.0M, or ~0.55% of AR), making AR its 24th largest holding.
• Other institutions largely increased exposure—Dimensional Fund Advisors, GW&K and First Trust all raised stakes (to 7.97M, 1.03M and 752,568 shares respectively)—and institutional investors now own 83.04% of the stock.
• Antero recently posted an EPS beat ($0.62 vs. $0.49) and revenue of $1.41B, and analyst sentiment is broadly positive (consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $45.87 and several firms raising targets toward ~$48).

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. decreased its holdings in Antero Resources Corporation (NYSE:AR - Free Report) by 13.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,698,677 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock after selling 258,241 shares during the period. Antero Resources comprises approximately 0.3% of Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.55% of Antero Resources worth $57,008,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Antero Resources by 25.3% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 752,568 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock worth $25,256,000 after acquiring an additional 152,169 shares in the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Antero Resources in the third quarter valued at approximately $287,000. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC grew its holdings in Antero Resources by 213.8% in the third quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 42,547 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock worth $1,428,000 after purchasing an additional 28,987 shares during the last quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Antero Resources by 38.5% in the third quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 1,034,451 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock worth $34,716,000 after purchasing an additional 287,353 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Antero Resources by 31.8% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,970,390 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock worth $267,485,000 after purchasing an additional 1,922,977 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.04% of the company's stock.

Antero Resources Price Performance

Shares of AR opened at $38.88 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The company's fifty day moving average price is $34.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $33.72. Antero Resources Corporation has a 1-year low of $29.10 and a 1-year high of $44.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.00 billion, a PE ratio of 19.25 and a beta of 0.52.

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The oil and natural gas company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.13. Antero Resources had a return on equity of 6.71% and a net margin of 12.02%.The company had revenue of $1.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.48 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 20.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Antero Resources Corporation will post 2.74 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on AR. Roth Mkm reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $36.00 price objective on shares of Antero Resources in a report on Monday, December 8th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $50.00 target price on Antero Resources in a research report on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group increased their price target on Antero Resources from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Antero Resources in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Antero Resources from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, November 28th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $45.87.

Antero Resources News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on AR to $48 and maintained a Buy rating, implying meaningful upside vs. the current price; this supports investor confidence in the shares. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Siebert Williams Shank reiterated a Buy on Antero and a $48 target (cited in coverage listing AR among affordable energy picks), reinforcing bullish analyst momentum. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Benchmark upgraded AR from Hold to Buy with a $44 target, adding another upward catalyst from the sell-side. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis questions whether recent portfolio repositioning meaningfully strengthens the balance sheet; the piece highlights strategic moves but stops short of a clear positive/negative verdict, leaving impact ambiguous. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually large options activity: traders bought ~58,929 put contracts (a ~284% increase vs. average), signaling elevated hedging or bearish positioning that can pressure the stock. No direct article link available for this trading data.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut near-term earnings expectations — including a negative estimate for Q1 — which increases near-term earnings risk and could weigh on sentiment. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks also lowered Q3 EPS estimates for Antero in a separate note, adding further analyst-driven downside risk to the stock. Read More.

Antero Resources 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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