Antero Resources Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:AR)

Antero Resources Co. (NYSE:AR) was the target of unusually large options trading on Monday. Stock traders bought 21,766 put options on the stock. This is an increase of 355% compared to the typical daily volume of 4,785 put options.

Antero Resources Price Performance

Antero Resources stock opened at $25.17 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $7.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 125.85 and a beta of 3.33. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $28.67 and its 200 day moving average is $30.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Antero Resources has a 52-week low of $20.10 and a 52-week high of $36.28.

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The oil and natural gas company reported ($0.24) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.20) by ($0.04). Antero Resources had a net margin of 1.88% and a return on equity of 0.45%. The firm had revenue of $978.65 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $980.20 million. Sell-side analysts forecast that Antero Resources will post 0.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AR. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Antero Resources in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Antero Resources from $40.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Antero Resources from $36.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Roth Capital upgraded shares of Antero Resources to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. Finally, Roth Mkm began coverage on shares of Antero Resources in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $32.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $33.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Antero Resources news, insider Yvette K. Schultz sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.24, for a total transaction of $1,262,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 248,363 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,268,682.12. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 6.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AR. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Antero Resources by 269.4% in the second quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 3,967,300 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $129,453,000 after purchasing an additional 2,893,395 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Antero Resources by 33.7% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,537,261 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $238,985,000 after acquiring an additional 2,655,604 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Antero Resources by 28.5% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,659,033 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $128,352,000 after acquiring an additional 1,253,510 shares in the last quarter. CUSHING ASSET MANAGEMENT LP dba NXG INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT bought a new position in Antero Resources during the 1st quarter worth about $35,734,000. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Antero Resources by 488.7% during the 2nd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 1,428,864 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $46,624,000 after acquiring an additional 1,186,163 shares in the last quarter. 83.04% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.