Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) Downgraded to “Hold” Rating by Zacks Research

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) was downgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Antero Resources from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Barclays raised their target price on Antero Resources from $41.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Antero Resources from $39.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock 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 on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Antero Resources from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $50.06.

Antero Resources Stock Performance

NYSE AR opened at $35.10 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.40 and a beta of 0.36. Antero Resources has a 1-year low of $29.10 and a 1-year high of $45.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.40. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $39.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $36.35.

Insider Transactions at Antero Resources

In other news, insider Yvette K. Schultz sold 39,490 shares of Antero Resources stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 277,665 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,903,904.55. This trade represents a 12.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Benjamin A. Hardesty sold 12,000 shares of Antero Resources stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 150,242 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,610,648. The trade was a 7.40% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 252,316 shares of company stock worth $9,977,259. 6.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AR. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Antero Resources by 12.7% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 10,239,070 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $434,597,000 after purchasing an additional 1,153,422 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in Antero Resources by 1.2% during the 3rd 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 period. Sourcerock Group LLC boosted its position in Antero Resources by 10.6% during the 2nd quarter. Sourcerock Group LLC now owns 8,156,134 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $328,529,000 after purchasing an additional 783,117 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Antero Resources by 18.0% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,999,747 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $172,291,000 after purchasing an additional 761,842 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 1,226,828 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.04% of the company’s stock.

Antero Resources Company 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.