Investors Purchase High Volume of Call Options on Antero Resources (NYSE:AR)

Antero Resources Co. (NYSE:AR) saw unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders bought 15,248 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 143% compared to the average daily volume of 6,263 call options.

Antero Resources Stock Down 3.3 %

Shares of NYSE:AR opened at $30.55 on Thursday. Antero Resources has a 1 year low of $20.56 and a 1 year high of $36.28. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $30.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $29.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 218.21 and a beta of 3.42.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AR. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of 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 valued at $21,209,000 after purchasing an additional 218,517 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Antero Resources during the 3rd quarter valued at $210,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Antero Resources by 1.3% during the 3rd 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 buying an additional 61,490 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp lifted its holdings in Antero Resources by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 24,155 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $692,000 after buying an additional 743 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd acquired a new position in Antero Resources in the 3rd quarter worth $430,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.04% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Antero Resources from $37.00 to $30.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Roth Capital raised Antero Resources to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Antero Resources from $39.00 to $38.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 16th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Antero Resources from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Antero Resources from $32.00 to $30.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Antero Resources currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.78.

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.