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

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

Antero Resources Trading Down 2.2%

Shares of NYSE:AR traded down $0.76 during trading on Monday, reaching $34.07. 2,645,702 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,665,016. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.40. Antero Resources has a 12-month low of $29.10 and a 12-month high of $45.75. The firm has a market cap of $10.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.05 and a beta of 0.33. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $37.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $36.48.

Insider Transactions at Antero Resources

In other Antero Resources news, Director Benjamin A. Hardesty sold 12,000 shares of Antero Resources stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The shares were 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 approximately $6,610,648. The trade was a 7.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Yvette K. Schultz sold 39,490 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider owned 277,665 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,903,904.55. This represents a 12.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 237,316 shares of company stock worth $9,387,309. 4.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Antero Resources

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Antero Resources by 12.7% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 10,239,070 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $434,597,000 after purchasing an additional 1,153,422 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Antero Resources by 1.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,171,885 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $341,368,000 after purchasing an additional 116,461 shares during the last quarter. Sourcerock Group LLC increased its position in Antero Resources by 10.6% in the 2nd quarter. Sourcerock Group LLC now owns 8,156,134 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $328,529,000 after purchasing an additional 783,117 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Antero Resources by 18.0% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,999,747 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $172,291,000 after purchasing an additional 761,842 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Antero Resources by 35.4% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 4,694,364 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $161,768,000 after acquiring an additional 1,226,828 shares during the last quarter. 83.04% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on AR shares. Citigroup raised 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. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Antero Resources from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Truist Financial initiated coverage on shares of Antero Resources in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $56.00 target price on the stock. Benchmark raised Antero Resources from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $44.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Antero Resources from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $50.06.

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.