William Blair Investment Management LLC Boosts Stake in Antero Resources Corporation $AR

William Blair Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Antero Resources Corporation (NYSE:AR) by 25.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 626,420 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock after buying an additional 125,136 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Antero Resources were worth $21,586,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Antero Resources during the third quarter worth $26,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Antero Resources during 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 worth $31,000 after buying an additional 345 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Antero Resources by 167.8% during the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 1,824 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 1,143 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Antero Resources by 100.1% during the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 2,487 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $83,000 after purchasing an additional 1,244 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.04% of the company’s stock.

Antero Resources Stock Performance

Shares of AR opened at $36.79 on Tuesday. Antero Resources Corporation has a 12 month low of $29.10 and a 12 month high of $45.75. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $39.24 and a 200-day moving average price of $36.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market cap of $11.40 billion, a PE ratio of 11.95 and a beta of 0.36.

Insider Activity at Antero Resources

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 value of $528,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 150,242 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,610,648. This represents a 7.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Yvette K. Schultz sold 39,490 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.27, for a total value of $1,550,772.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 277,665 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,903,904.55. The trade was a 12.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 252,316 shares of company stock valued at $9,977,259 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on AR. Williams Trading set a $56.00 price objective on Antero Resources in a report on Monday, April 20th. TD Cowen upgraded Antero Resources to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Antero Resources from $39.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Benchmark upgraded Antero Resources from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $44.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Antero Resources from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $49.63.

Antero Resources 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.