Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) Hits New 1-Year High – Here’s Why

Antero Resources Co. (NYSE:AR) shares reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $41.59 and last traded at $41.48, with a volume of 893340 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $40.77.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Barclays raised their price objective on Antero Resources from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Antero Resources from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Antero Resources from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Antero Resources from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Williams Trading set a $48.00 price target on Antero Resources in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $41.06.

Antero Resources Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $13.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 132.77 and a beta of 3.38. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $38.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $33.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21.

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The oil and natural gas company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.14. Antero Resources had a return on equity of 0.74% and a net margin of 2.31%. Research analysts expect that Antero Resources Co. will post 2.74 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Antero Resources news, Director W Howard Keenan, Jr. sold 200,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.76, for a total value of $7,952,000.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 1,800,000 shares in the company, valued at $71,568,000. This represents a 10.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 6.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Antero Resources

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AR. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Antero Resources by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,929,424 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $55,278,000 after buying an additional 27,617 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. boosted its stake in Antero Resources by 15.9% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 178,053 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $5,101,000 after purchasing an additional 24,455 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in Antero Resources by 62.7% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 281,246 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $8,058,000 after buying an additional 108,373 shares in the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance increased its position in Antero Resources by 41.2% during the 3rd quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 39,907 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $1,143,000 after buying an additional 11,652 shares during the period. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lifted its holdings in shares of Antero Resources by 2.4% during the third quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 486,761 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $13,946,000 after buying an additional 11,512 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.