Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Acquires 186,727 Shares of Antero Resources Co. (NYSE:AR)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in Antero Resources Co. (NYSE:AR) by 7.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 2,851,355 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock after buying an additional 186,727 shares during the quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA’s holdings in Antero Resources were worth $99,940,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Antero Resources during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Spire Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Antero Resources in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its holdings in shares of Antero Resources by 205.2% during the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 1,358 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 913 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of Antero Resources by 59.6% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,401 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 523 shares during the period. Finally, Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in Antero Resources during the 4th quarter worth about $56,000. Institutional investors own 83.04% of the company’s stock.

Antero Resources Stock Down 13.8 %

Shares of NYSE AR opened at $33.43 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $10.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 104.47 and a beta of 3.38. Antero Resources Co. has a 1 year low of $24.53 and a 1 year high of $42.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.35 and a quick ratio of 0.35. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $38.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $33.96.

Antero Resources (NYSE:AR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The oil and natural gas company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Antero Resources Co. will post 2.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Antero Resources from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Benchmark restated a “hold” rating on shares of Antero Resources in a research note on Friday, January 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Antero Resources from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Antero Resources from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $58.00 target price on shares of Antero Resources in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Antero Resources presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $42.24.

Insider Transactions at Antero Resources

In related news, Director W Howard Keenan, Jr. sold 200,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.76, for a total transaction of $7,952,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,800,000 shares in the company, valued at $71,568,000. This trade represents a 10.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 6.70% of the company’s stock.

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.