Traders Purchase High Volume of Antero Resources Put Options (NYSE:AR)

Antero Resources Corporation (NYSE:AR) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Traders acquired 25,555 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 119% compared to the average daily volume of 11,673 put options.

Antero Resources Trading Down 3.4%

NYSE:AR traded down $1.16 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $33.33. 1,887,879 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,569,458. The firm has a market cap of $10.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.81 and a beta of 0.33. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $35.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $36.35. Antero Resources has a 52-week low of $29.10 and a 52-week high of $45.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.40.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on AR. UBS Group increased their target price on Antero Resources from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Texas Capital raised Antero Resources to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Antero Resources from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on Antero Resources from $56.00 to $52.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Antero Resources from $46.00 to $41.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $49.47.

Insider Activity

In other Antero Resources news, insider Yvette K. Schultz sold 39,490 shares of Antero Resources stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.27, for a total transaction of $1,550,772.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 277,665 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,903,904.55. The trade was a 12.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Michael N. Kennedy sold 185,826 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.33, for a total transaction of $7,308,536.58. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 1,085,192 shares in the company, valued at $42,680,601.36. This trade represents a 14.62% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 4.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in Antero Resources by 16,498.3% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 9,627 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $389,000 after acquiring an additional 9,569 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in shares of Antero Resources by 7.9% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 590,555 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $23,882,000 after purchasing an additional 43,312 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth raised its holdings in Antero Resources by 18.9% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 19,921 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $806,000 after buying an additional 3,169 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Antero Resources by 701.3% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,989 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $120,000 after buying an additional 2,616 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in Antero Resources by 22.5% during the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 36,500 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $1,470,000 after buying an additional 6,700 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.04% of the company’s stock.

About Antero Resources

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.