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

Antero Resources Corporation (NYSE:AR) saw unusually large options trading activity on Monday. Stock investors acquired 98,352 put options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 620% compared to the average daily volume of 13,660 put options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on AR. Williams Trading set a $56.00 price objective on Antero Resources in a report on Monday, April 20th. Citigroup upped their price target on Antero Resources from $39.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. UBS Group raised their price objective on Antero Resources from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Antero Resources from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Zacks Research cut Antero Resources from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Antero Resources has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $50.06.

Antero Resources Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:AR traded up $0.07 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $33.98. 3,370,541 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,648,816. Antero Resources has a 12 month low of $29.10 and a 12 month high of $45.75. The company has a market cap of $10.53 billion, a PE ratio of 11.01 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.40. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $37.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $36.47.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Benjamin A. Hardesty sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.00, for a total transaction of $528,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 150,242 shares in the company, valued at $6,610,648. This represents a 7.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Michael N. Kennedy sold 185,826 shares of Antero Resources 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 transaction, the insider owned 1,085,192 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,680,601.36. This represents a 14.62% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 237,316 shares of company stock worth $9,387,309. Corporate insiders own 4.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Antero Resources

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AR. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Antero Resources in the third quarter worth $30,000. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in Antero Resources by 59.2% during the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 928 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 345 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Antero Resources during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Antero Resources during the fourth quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, SBI Okasan Asset Management Co.Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Antero Resources in the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.04% of the company’s stock.

About Antero Resources

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.