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

Antero Resources Corporation (NYSE:AR) was the target of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors purchased 31,213 put options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 220% compared to the average daily volume of 9,742 put options.

Antero Resources Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AR traded up $1.65 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $36.37. The stock had a trading volume of 2,045,295 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,952,562. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $33.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $34.82. The stock has a market cap of $11.22 billion, a PE ratio of 19.39 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.31. Antero Resources has a 1-year low of $29.10 and a 1-year high of $44.01.

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The oil and natural gas company reported $0.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by ($0.38). The firm had revenue of $1.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.25 billion. Antero Resources had a net margin of 11.73% and a return on equity of 7.51%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.07) EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Antero Resources will post 2.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Antero Resources

In related news, insider Brendan E. Krueger purchased 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $33.35 per share, with a total value of $166,750.00. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 295,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,868,831.95. This trade represents a 1.72% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Antero Resources

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in Antero Resources by 261.1% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 3,467 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $116,000 after purchasing an additional 2,507 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 345 shares in the last quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Antero Resources by 77.6% in the third quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 13,601 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $456,000 after purchasing an additional 5,944 shares in the last quarter. Greenfield Seitz Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Antero Resources during the 3rd quarter valued at $205,000. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its position in Antero Resources by 241.1% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 913,158 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $30,646,000 after purchasing an additional 645,424 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.04% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup upgraded shares of Antero Resources from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $37.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 23rd. Tudor Pickering raised Antero Resources from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Antero Resources from $43.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Zacks Research upgraded Antero Resources from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Antero Resources from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $39.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Antero Resources currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $44.00.

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.