Stock Traders Buy Large Volume of Antero Resources Call Options (NYSE:AR)

Antero Resources Co. (NYSE:AR) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Monday. Stock investors purchased 14,315 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 202% compared to the average volume of 4,740 call options.

Antero Resources Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AR opened at $28.89 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $27.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $30.22. Antero Resources has a twelve month low of $20.10 and a twelve month high of $36.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.98 billion, a PE ratio of 144.45 and a beta of 3.33.

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 0.45% and a net margin of 1.88%. The business had revenue of $978.65 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $980.20 million. Equities research analysts expect that Antero Resources will post 0.34 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AR shares. Wolfe Research raised shares of Antero Resources from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $37.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Antero Resources from $39.00 to $38.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Antero Resources from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of Antero Resources from $36.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Antero Resources from $37.00 to $30.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $33.13.

Insider Transactions at Antero Resources

In other Antero Resources news, insider Yvette K. Schultz sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 248,363 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,268,682.12. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 6.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Antero Resources

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AR. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in Antero Resources by 28.0% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 2,752 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 602 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in Antero Resources by 942.9% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 35,937 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $815,000 after acquiring an additional 32,491 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its holdings in Antero Resources by 544.3% in the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 156,110 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $3,557,000 after acquiring an additional 131,882 shares in the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association grew its holdings in Antero Resources by 15.3% during the 4th quarter. United Services Automobile Association now owns 22,832 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $518,000 after buying an additional 3,023 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IPG Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Antero Resources during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $227,000. 83.04% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Antero Resources

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.