Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Antero Resources Put Options (NYSE:AR)

Antero Resources Corporation (NYSE:AR) saw some unusual options trading on Friday. Investors bought 25,555 put options on the company. This represents an increase of 119% compared to the typical volume of 11,673 put options.

Antero Resources Trading Down 3.8%

Shares of AR stock traded down $1.30 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $33.19. 6,403,149 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,498,540. Antero Resources has a fifty-two week low of $29.10 and a fifty-two week high of $45.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.40. The firm has a market cap of $10.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.78 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $35.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $36.32.

Insider Buying and Selling at Antero Resources

In other Antero Resources news, insider Yvette K. Schultz sold 39,490 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The stock was 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. This trade represents a 12.45% 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 this link. Also, insider Michael N. Kennedy sold 185,826 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.33, for a total value of $7,308,536.58. Following the sale, the insider owned 1,085,192 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,680,601.36. This trade represents a 14.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 4.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Antero Resources

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AR. Annandale Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Antero Resources by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Annandale Capital LLC now owns 73,754 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $2,475,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in Antero Resources by 16.7% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,108 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its position in shares of Antero Resources by 2.0% in the third quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 15,752 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $529,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Antero Resources by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 8,506 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $293,000 after purchasing an additional 343 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in shares of Antero Resources by 59.2% during the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 928 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 345 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.04% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AR has been the topic of several recent research reports. Roth Capital reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $38.00 target price on shares of Antero Resources in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $57.00 price target on shares of Antero Resources in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Antero Resources from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Antero Resources from $49.00 to $45.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Four 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $49.47.

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.