Short Interest in Antero Resources Co. (NYSE:AR) Grows By 54.9%

Antero Resources Co. (NYSE:AR) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 14,730,000 shares, a growth of 54.9% from the February 28th total of 9,510,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 4,700,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.1 days. Currently, 5.1% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Antero Resources from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Antero Resources from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Antero Resources from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $58.00 price target on shares of Antero Resources in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Antero Resources from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $42.24.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 transaction of $7,952,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,800,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $71,568,000. The trade was a 10.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 6.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Antero Resources

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. acquired a new position in Antero Resources in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in shares of Antero Resources in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Spire Wealth Management bought a new position in Antero Resources during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Antero Resources in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Capital A Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Antero Resources in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.04% of the company’s stock.

Antero Resources Stock Up 0.4 %

AR traded up $0.15 on Friday, hitting $39.68. 3,365,698 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,993,293. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $38.47 and its 200-day moving average is $33.58. Antero Resources has a 12 month low of $24.53 and a 12 month high of $42.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.35. The company has a market cap of $12.35 billion, a PE ratio of 124.01 and a beta of 3.38.

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The oil and natural gas company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Antero Resources will post 2.74 EPS for the current fiscal 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.