Traders Purchase Large Volume of Put Options on Antero Resources (NYSE:AR)

Antero Resources Co. (NYSE:AR) was the target of some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Stock investors purchased 24,956 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 265% compared to the typical volume of 6,830 put options.

Antero Resources Stock Down 5.7 %

Shares of NYSE AR opened at $32.21 on Wednesday. Antero Resources has a 1 year low of $24.53 and a 1 year high of $42.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.35 and a quick ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market cap of $10.02 billion, a PE ratio of 100.66 and a beta of 3.08. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $38.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $34.14.

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The oil and natural gas company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.14. Antero Resources had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 0.74%. On average, research analysts forecast that Antero Resources will post 2.74 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Antero Resources from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Antero Resources from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. TD Cowen raised Antero Resources from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $40.00 to $46.00 in a report on Tuesday. UBS Group boosted their price target on Antero Resources from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on Antero Resources from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Antero Resources has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $42.44.

Insider Activity at Antero Resources

In related news, Director W Howard Keenan, Jr. sold 200,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.76, for a total value of $7,952,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,800,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $71,568,000. The trade was a 10.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 6.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its position in shares of Antero Resources by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 59,482 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $2,085,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its stake in shares of Antero Resources by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 14,060 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $493,000 after acquiring an additional 319 shares during the period. Net Worth Advisory Group lifted its stake in shares of Antero Resources by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 16,597 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $582,000 after acquiring an additional 354 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its holdings in Antero Resources by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 14,355 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $503,000 after acquiring an additional 370 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caprock Group LLC increased its position in Antero Resources by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 58,401 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $2,047,000 after purchasing an additional 374 shares during the period. 83.04% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.