Principal Financial Group Inc. Purchases 23,908 Shares of Antero Resources Corporation $AR

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Antero Resources Corporation (NYSE:AR) by 3.8% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 654,019 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 23,908 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Antero Resources were worth $27,757,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AR. Sunbelt Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Antero Resources during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in Antero Resources by 59.2% in the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 928 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 345 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Antero Resources in the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Antero Resources in the fourth quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, SBI Okasan Asset Management Co.Ltd. acquired a new position in Antero Resources in the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. Institutional investors own 83.04% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Antero Resources news, insider Michael N. Kennedy sold 185,826 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.33, for a total value of $7,308,536.58. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 1,085,192 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,680,601.36. This trade represents a 14.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Yvette K. Schultz sold 39,490 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.27, for a total transaction of $1,550,772.30. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 277,665 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,903,904.55. The trade was a 12.45% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 4.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Antero Resources Price Performance

Shares of AR stock opened at $33.54 on Monday. Antero Resources Corporation has a 52 week low of $29.10 and a 52 week high of $45.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.39 billion, a PE ratio of 10.89 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.40. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $35.36 and its 200-day moving average is $36.33.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on AR. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Antero Resources from $54.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Texas Capital raised Antero Resources to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Williams Trading set a $56.00 target price on Antero Resources in a report on Monday, April 20th. Roth Capital restated a “neutral” rating and set a $38.00 target price on shares of Antero Resources in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on Antero Resources from $39.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Antero Resources currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $49.12.

Antero Resources Company Profile

Antero Resources Corporation is an independent exploration and production company focused on the development of natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs) and oil properties in the Appalachian Basin of the United States. The company’s operations target the Marcellus and Utica shales, where it applies advanced drilling and completion techniques to optimize recovery from its large acreage position. Antero’s portfolio encompasses significant reserves of ethane, propane and other NGLs, alongside dry gas volumes that are positioned to serve both domestic and export markets.

Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Antero Resources holds approximately 1.8 million net acres of leasehold interests across parts of West Virginia and Ohio.