Antero Resources Co. (NYSE:AR) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Antero Resources Co. (NYSE:AR) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 14,730,000 shares, an increase of 54.9% from the February 28th total of 9,510,000 shares. Approximately 5.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 4,700,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.1 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on AR shares. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Antero Resources from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Antero Resources from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Raymond James upped their price target 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. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Antero Resources from $29.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $42.24.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 shares were sold at an average price of $39.76, for a total value of $7,952,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,800,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $71,568,000. This represents a 10.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 6.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Antero Resources

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its stake in Antero Resources by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 59,482 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $2,085,000 after buying an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its position in shares of Antero Resources by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 14,060 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $493,000 after acquiring an additional 319 shares in the last quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group raised its position in Antero Resources by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 16,597 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $582,000 after purchasing an additional 354 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its stake in Antero Resources by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 14,355 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $503,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares during the period. Finally, Caprock Group LLC boosted its holdings in Antero Resources by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 58,401 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $2,047,000 after purchasing an additional 374 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.04% of the company’s stock.

Antero Resources Stock Performance

AR stock traded up $0.81 on Monday, reaching $40.50. 4,109,742 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,993,757. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.60 billion, a PE ratio of 126.55 and a beta of 3.38. Antero Resources has a 12 month low of $24.53 and a 12 month high of $42.63. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $38.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $33.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.35 and a quick ratio of 0.35.

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The oil and natural gas company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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, research analysts anticipate that Antero Resources will post 2.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.