South Dakota Investment Council Has $3.11 Million Stake in Antero Resources Co. (NYSE:AR)

South Dakota Investment Council trimmed its position in Antero Resources Co. (NYSE:AR) by 64.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 88,803 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock after selling 161,931 shares during the period. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in Antero Resources were worth $3,113,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Antero Resources by 83.7% in the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 26,467 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $928,000 after purchasing an additional 12,062 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Antero Resources by 1.3% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,852,246 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $139,054,000 after acquiring an additional 61,490 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in Antero Resources by 4.8% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,664,628 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $76,342,000 after acquiring an additional 122,815 shares in the last quarter. Capital CS Group LLC bought a new stake in Antero Resources during the fourth quarter worth about $615,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Antero Resources by 40.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 756,128 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $21,209,000 after acquiring an additional 218,517 shares in the last quarter. 83.04% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America assumed coverage on Antero Resources in a report on Monday, October 28th. They set a “buy” rating and a $36.00 target price on the stock. Raymond James upped their target price on Antero Resources from $44.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Antero Resources from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Benchmark reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Antero Resources in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Antero Resources from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $39.44.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director W Howard Keenan, Jr. sold 200,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the director now owns 1,800,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $71,568,000. This represents a 10.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 6.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Antero Resources Price Performance

Antero Resources stock opened at $38.18 on Monday. Antero Resources Co. has a 12 month low of $24.43 and a 12 month high of $41.53. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $37.17 and its 200-day moving average is $31.68. 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 company has a market capitalization of $11.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 119.30 and a beta of 3.33.

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

Antero Resources 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.