Principal Financial Group Inc. Decreases Stake in Antero Resources Co. (NYSE:AR)

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its position in Antero Resources Co. (NYSE:AR - Free Report) by 30.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 676,899 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock after selling 295,845 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.22% of Antero Resources worth $19,393,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Antero Resources by 5.8% during the third quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,459 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock valued at $242,000 after purchasing an additional 460 shares during the period. Chickasaw Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Antero Resources by 5.5% in the third quarter. Chickasaw Capital Management LLC now owns 9,540 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock worth $273,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital boosted its stake in Antero Resources by 4.2% during the third quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 16,906 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock worth $505,000 after buying an additional 681 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of Antero Resources by 357.3% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 878 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 686 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in shares of Antero Resources by 19.9% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,222 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock worth $121,000 after purchasing an additional 702 shares during the period. 83.04% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on AR shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Antero Resources to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Antero Resources from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $24.00 to $32.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Antero Resources from $31.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Raymond James increased their target price on Antero Resources from $34.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Antero Resources from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $34.78.

Antero Resources Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE AR traded up $0.49 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $33.30. 2,118,921 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,032,615. The company has a market cap of $10.36 billion, a PE ratio of 237.86 and a beta of 3.42. Antero Resources Co. has a 12 month low of $20.56 and a 12 month high of $36.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $30.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $29.68.

Antero Resources 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.