Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) Trading Down 3.2% on Analyst Downgrade

Antero Resources Co. (NYSE:AR)’s share price traded down 3.2% during trading on Friday after Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on the stock from $25.00 to $24.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an underweight rating on the stock. Antero Resources traded as low as $26.40 and last traded at $26.44. 575,038 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 4,096,281 shares. The stock had previously closed at $27.30.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on AR. Roth Mkm began coverage on Antero Resources in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $32.00 price target on the stock. Scotiabank raised Antero Resources from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $40.00 to $44.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Antero Resources from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 4th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Antero Resources from $39.00 to $38.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Antero Resources from $37.00 to $30.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.76.

Insider Transactions at Antero Resources

In other Antero Resources news, insider Yvette K. Schultz sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.24, for a total transaction of $1,262,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 248,363 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,268,682.12. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 6.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Antero Resources

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Antero Resources by 269.4% during the 2nd quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 3,967,300 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $129,453,000 after purchasing an additional 2,893,395 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Antero Resources by 488.7% in the 2nd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 1,428,864 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $46,624,000 after buying an additional 1,186,163 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Antero Resources by 7,781.2% in the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 953,859 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $31,113,000 after buying an additional 941,756 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Antero Resources in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,288,000. Finally, Castle Hook Partners LP increased its position in Antero Resources by 160.3% during the first quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 1,226,758 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $35,576,000 after purchasing an additional 755,439 shares during the last quarter. 83.04% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Antero Resources Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $8.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 134.20 and a beta of 3.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 0.29. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $27.50 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $30.37.

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The oil and natural gas company reported ($0.24) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.20) by ($0.04). Antero Resources had a net margin of 1.88% and a return on equity of 0.45%. The business had revenue of $978.65 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $980.20 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that Antero Resources Co. will post -0.21 EPS for the current year.

Antero Resources Company Profile

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.