Antero Resources Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:AR)

Antero Resources Corporation (NYSE:AR) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock investors bought 21,483 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 123% compared to the average daily volume of 9,649 call options.

Antero Resources Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of AR stock traded down $0.07 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $34.70. 2,439,291 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,945,228. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.45 and a beta of 0.62. Antero Resources has a 12-month low of $29.10 and a 12-month high of $44.01. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $32.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $35.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

Insider Buying and Selling at Antero Resources

In other Antero Resources news, insider Brendan E. Krueger bought 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $33.35 per share, with a total value of $166,750.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider directly owned 295,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,868,831.95. This trade represents a 1.72% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Antero Resources by 140.2% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,467,536 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $116,371,000 after purchasing an additional 2,023,828 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Antero Resources by 31.8% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,970,390 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $267,485,000 after buying an additional 1,922,977 shares in the last quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. bought a new stake in Antero Resources during the 3rd quarter valued at $52,737,000. Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in shares of Antero Resources by 676.5% in the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,632,627 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $54,791,000 after acquiring an additional 1,422,377 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Antero Resources by 44.3% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,440,328 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $179,567,000 after acquiring an additional 1,362,370 shares in the last quarter. 83.04% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on AR. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Antero Resources from $50.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Citigroup upgraded Antero Resources from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $37.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 23rd. Raymond James Financial upped their target price on shares of Antero Resources from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Antero Resources from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on Antero Resources from $43.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average 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.