Antero Resources Co. (NYSE:AR) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Antero Resources Co. (NYSE:AR - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the thirteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, five have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $30.69.

Several brokerages recently weighed in on AR. Truist Financial decreased their price target on Antero Resources from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 5th. Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. raised Antero Resources from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $32.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Antero Resources from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Mizuho raised their target price on Antero Resources from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Barclays initiated coverage on Antero Resources in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $32.00 target price for the company.

Antero Resources Stock Performance

Shares of AR stock traded up $0.41 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $33.80. The stock had a trading volume of 7,919,516 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,347,436. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.51 billion, a PE ratio of 169.00 and a beta of 3.30. Antero Resources has a twelve month low of $19.91 and a twelve month high of $34.24. The stock's 50 day moving average is $27.85 and its 200 day moving average is $25.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.33.

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The oil and natural gas company reported $0.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.04 by ($0.01). Antero Resources had a return on equity of 0.18% and a net margin of 1.50%. The company had revenue of $1.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.48 earnings per share. Antero Resources's revenue for the quarter was down 20.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Antero Resources will post 0.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director W Howard Keenan, Jr. sold 206,978 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.15, for a total value of $5,412,474.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,793,022 shares in the company, valued at $99,187,525.30. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, Director W Howard Keenan, Jr. sold 232,293 shares of Antero Resources stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.85, for a total transaction of $6,004,774.05. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 3,000,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $77,550,000. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director W Howard Keenan, Jr. sold 206,978 shares of Antero Resources stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.15, for a total value of $5,412,474.70. Following the sale, the director now owns 3,793,022 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $99,187,525.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 467,280 shares of company stock worth $12,153,605 over the last 90 days. 5.95% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Antero Resources

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. CWM LLC grew its holdings in Antero Resources by 33.9% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,990 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock valued at $76,000 after buying an additional 757 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its holdings in Antero Resources by 49.5% in the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 81,591 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock valued at $2,071,000 after buying an additional 27,005 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Antero Resources by 166.9% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 46,651 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock valued at $1,184,000 after buying an additional 29,172 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance purchased a new stake in Antero Resources in the 3rd quarter valued at about $246,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in Antero Resources by 34.5% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,826,549 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock valued at $97,118,000 after buying an additional 982,384 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.04% of the company's stock.

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.