Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Put Options on Antero Resources (NYSE:AR)

Antero Resources Corporation (NYSE:AR) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Stock traders bought 58,929 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 284% compared to the typical volume of 15,350 put options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AR has been the topic of several recent research reports. Mizuho set a $47.00 target price on shares of Antero Resources in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Antero Resources from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, November 28th. Barclays cut their target price on Antero Resources from $46.00 to $41.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Tudor Pickering raised shares of Antero Resources from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $36.00 price target on shares of Antero Resources in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Antero Resources has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $45.87.

Antero Resources News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Antero Resources this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target to $48 and reiterated a “buy” rating, implying ~22% upside from the current price; this upgrade/target lift is a clear catalyst for bullish flows. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Benchmark upgraded AR from “hold” to “buy” with a $44 target, giving another analyst?driven positive signal that can attract buyers. Read More. Read More. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks raised its Q4 2027 EPS estimate slightly (to $1.00 from $0.98), a mixed/limited positive datapoint within otherwise mixed guidance changes; this alone is unlikely to drive a large directional move. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually large options activity: investors bought ~58,929 put contracts (?284% above typical daily put volume). Heavy put buying signals increased bearish hedging/speculation, which can pressure the stock or increase volatility. (No link available)
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks issued a string of downward revisions for near?term quarters and trimmed FY?2027 EPS (from $3.30 to $3.18) and cut several quarterly estimates — a broader downgrade trend that weighs on forward earnings expectations. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Separate coverage reported Zacks cut Q3 EPS estimates for Antero, reinforcing the theme of lowered near?term earnings expectations that could temper enthusiasm from analyst upgrades. Read More.

Antero Resources Trading Up 3.6%

AR traded up $1.36 during trading on Thursday, hitting $39.15. 5,389,935 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,229,992. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.55. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $34.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $33.58. The firm has a market cap of $12.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.38 and a beta of 0.52. Antero Resources has a 1 year low of $29.10 and a 1 year high of $44.01.

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The oil and natural gas company reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $1.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. Antero Resources had a net margin of 12.02% and a return on equity of 6.71%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.48 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Antero Resources will post 2.74 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Antero Resources

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AR. Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new stake in Antero Resources during the second quarter valued at approximately $532,000. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC increased its position in shares of Antero Resources by 4.5% during the third quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 1,185,601 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $39,789,000 after purchasing an additional 51,126 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its position in shares of Antero Resources by 103.8% during the third quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 436,476 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $14,648,000 after purchasing an additional 222,311 shares in the last quarter. Goodman Financial Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Antero Resources during the 3rd quarter valued at $14,791,000. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Antero Resources in the 2nd quarter worth $3,015,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.04% of the company’s stock.

Antero Resources Company Profile

Antero Resources Corporation is an independent exploration and production company focused on the development of natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs) and oil properties in the Appalachian Basin of the United States. The company’s operations target the Marcellus and Utica shales, where it applies advanced drilling and completion techniques to optimize recovery from its large acreage position. Antero’s portfolio encompasses significant reserves of ethane, propane and other NGLs, alongside dry gas volumes that are positioned to serve both domestic and export markets.

Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Antero Resources holds approximately 1.8 million net acres of leasehold interests across parts of West Virginia and Ohio.