Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) Shares Up 2.5% – Still a Buy?

Antero Resources Co. (NYSE:AR) shares shot up 2.5% on Monday . The company traded as high as $40.57 and last traded at $40.69. 281,820 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 93% from the average session volume of 3,979,100 shares. The stock had previously closed at $39.69.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Antero Resources to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays increased their target price on Antero Resources from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Antero Resources from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Benchmark reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Antero Resources in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Raymond James lifted their price objective on shares of Antero Resources from $44.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Antero Resources has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $42.24.

Antero Resources Stock Up 2.3 %

The company has a current ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $38.47 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $33.63. The company has a market capitalization of $12.63 billion, a PE ratio of 126.74 and a beta of 3.38.

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The oil and natural gas company reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.14. Antero Resources had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 0.74%. Research analysts expect that Antero Resources Co. will post 2.74 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director W Howard Keenan, Jr. sold 200,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.76, for a total transaction of $7,952,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,800,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $71,568,000. This represents a 10.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 6.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Antero Resources

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Antero Resources during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in Antero Resources during the third quarter worth $30,000. Spire Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Antero Resources during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Antero Resources in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Antero Resources in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.04% of the company’s stock.

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.