Which Is a Better Investment, Antero Resources Corp or Matador Resources Co Stock?

By Cynthia McLaughlin
July 15, 2026
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Sifting through countless of stocks in the Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Matador Resources Company or Antero Resources Corporation because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Matador Resources Company and Antero Resources Corporation compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Matador Resources Company and Antero Resources Corporation

Matador Resources Company, an independent energy company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas resources in the United States. It operates through two segments, Exploration and Production; and Midstream. The company primarily holds interests in the Wolfcamp and Bone Spring plays in the Delaware Basin in Southeast New Mexico and West Texas. It also operates the Haynesville shale and Cotton Valley plays in Northwest Louisiana. In addition, the company conducts midstream operations in support of its exploration, development, and production operations. Further, it provides natural gas processing and oil transportation services; and oil, natural gas, and produced water gathering services, as well as produced water disposal services to third parties, as well as sells natural gas to unaffiliated independent marketing companies and unaffiliated midstream companies. The company was formerly known as Matador Holdco, Inc. and changed its name to Matador Resources Company in August 2011. Matador Resources Company was incorporated in 2003 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

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 Production; Marketing; and Equity Method Investment in Antero Midstream. As of December 31, 2025, the company had approximately 537,000 net acres in the Appalachian Basin; and approximately 168,000 net acres in the Upper Devonian Shale. Its gathering and compression systems also comprise 731 miles of gas gathering pipelines in the Appalachian Basin. The company was formerly known as Antero Resources Appalachian Corporation and changed its name to Antero Resources Corporation in June 2013. Antero Resources Corporation was incorporated in 2002 and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado.

Latest Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels and Matador Resources Company, Antero Resources Corporation Stock News

As of July 14, 2026, Matador Resources Company had a $6.5 billion market capitalization, compared to the Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels median of $2.4 million. Matador Resources Company’s stock is up 23.8% in 2026, down 0.5% in the previous five trading days and up 0.13% in the past year.

Currently, Matador Resources Company’s price-earnings ratio is 13.5. Matador Resources Company’s trailing 12-month revenue is $3.6 billion with a 13.5% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was -6.4%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $7.426 per share for the current fiscal year. Matador Resources Company currently has a 2.9% dividend yield.

As of July 14, 2026, Antero Resources Corporation had a $10.5 billion market cap, putting it in the 78th percentile of all stocks. Antero Resources Corporation’s stock is down 1.5% in 2026, down 2% in the previous five trading days and down 5.65% in the past year.

Currently, Antero Resources Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 11.0. Antero Resources Corporation’s trailing 12-month revenue is $5.6 billion with a 17.1% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 34.3%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $4.192 per share for the current fiscal year. Antero Resources Corporation does not currently pay a dividend.

How We Compare Matador Resources Company and Antero Resources Corporation Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Matador Resources Company and Antero Resources Corporation’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Matador Resources Company and Antero Resources Corporation Growth Grades

Company Ticker Growth
Matador Resources Company MTDR C
Antero Resources Corporation AR B

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

Matador Resources Company has a Growth Score of 59, which is Average. Antero Resources Corporation has a Growth Score of 77, which is Strong.

The Growth Grade Winner: Antero Resources Corporation

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, Antero Resources Corporation has a more attractive growth grade than Matador Resources Company. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, Antero Resources Corporation could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Matador Resources Company and Antero Resources Corporation’s Quality Grades

Company Ticker Quality
Matador Resources Company MTDR B
Antero Resources Corporation AR B

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

Matador Resources Company has a Quality Score of 69, which is Strong. Antero Resources Corporation has a Quality Score of 76, which is Strong.

The Quality Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Quality Grade breakdown above, both Matador Resources Company and Antero Resources Corporation have a grade of B. For investors who focus solely on a company’s overall quality, you will need to conduct further research into both companies to see if they are a good fit for your portfolio. As a good rule of thumb, you should always analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before choosing a company to invest in.

Matador Resources Company and Antero Resources Corporation’s Momentum Grades

Company Ticker Momentum
Matador Resources Company MTDR C
Antero Resources Corporation AR D

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

Matador Resources Company has a Momentum Score of 41, which is Average. Antero Resources Corporation has a Momentum Score of 32, which is Weak.

The Momentum Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Matador Resources Company or Antero Resources Corporation has a strong enough Momentum Grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Matador Resources Company or Antero Resources Corporation is the better investment when it comes to momentum.

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Other Matador Resources Company and Antero Resources Corporation Grades

In addition to Momentum, Growth and Quality, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Estimate Revisions.

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Earnings estimate revisions scores take into account the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, surprises beget further surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Matador Resources Company and Antero Resources Corporation pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Matador Resources Company or Antero Resources Corporation Stock?

Overall, Matador Resources Company stock has a Growth Score of 59, Momentum Score of 41 and Quality Score of 69.

Antero Resources Corporation stock has a Growth Score of 77, Momentum Score of 32 and Quality Score of 76.

Comparing Matador Resources Company and Antero Resources Corporation’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

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AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.



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