Raymond James Financial Inc. Makes New $140.02 Million Investment in Antero Resources Co. (NYSE:AR)

Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Antero Resources Co. (NYSE:AR) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 3,994,877 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $140,020,000.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AR. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Antero Resources during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in shares of Antero Resources during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Spire Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Antero Resources during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of Antero Resources during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its stake in shares of Antero Resources by 205.2% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 1,358 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 913 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.04% of the company’s stock.

Antero Resources Stock Performance

Shares of Antero Resources stock opened at $33.67 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $37.98 and a 200 day moving average of $32.19. Antero Resources Co. has a 12 month low of $24.53 and a 12 month high of $41.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 105.23 and a beta of 3.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.35 and a quick ratio of 0.35.

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The oil and natural gas company reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.14. Antero Resources had a return on equity of 0.74% and a net margin of 2.31%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Antero Resources Co. will post 2.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Antero Resources from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Mizuho increased their price objective on Antero Resources from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Antero Resources from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Barclays upped their target price on Antero Resources from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Antero Resources from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Antero Resources currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $39.44.

Insider Activity at Antero Resources

In other Antero Resources news, Director W Howard Keenan, Jr. sold 200,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director now owns 1,800,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $71,568,000. This trade represents a 10.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 6.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Antero Resources

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.