Mirae Asset Securities USA Inc. Buys 81,642 Shares of Antero Resources Co. (NYSE:AR)

Mirae Asset Securities USA Inc. grew its stake in Antero Resources Co. (NYSE:AR) by 14,348.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 82,211 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 81,642 shares during the period. Antero Resources accounts for about 0.1% of Mirae Asset Securities USA Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Mirae Asset Securities USA Inc.’s holdings in Antero Resources were worth $2,881,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AR. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Antero Resources in the fourth quarter valued at about $140,020,000. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Antero Resources by 537.2% during the 3rd quarter. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC now owns 954,685 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $27,352,000 after acquiring an additional 804,851 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Antero Resources by 4.0% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 17,460,062 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $500,231,000 after buying an additional 675,053 shares during the period. Amundi raised its position in shares of Antero Resources by 117.9% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,132,725 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $42,885,000 after acquiring an additional 612,997 shares during the period. Finally, Mercuria Capital Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in Antero Resources in the fourth quarter worth $11,917,000. 83.04% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Antero Resources Stock Performance

NYSE:AR opened at $40.70 on Monday. Antero Resources Co. has a twelve month low of $24.53 and a twelve month high of $41.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $38.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $33.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.66 billion, a PE ratio of 127.18 and a beta of 3.38.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director W Howard Keenan, Jr. sold 200,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.76, for a total value of $7,952,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,800,000 shares in the company, valued at $71,568,000. This trade represents a 10.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 6.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on AR. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Antero Resources from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Antero Resources from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Antero Resources to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Raymond James lifted their price objective on shares of Antero Resources from $44.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Antero Resources from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $41.06.

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.