SM vs AR Comparison

SM Energy Co is an independent energy company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of oil, gas, and NGLs in Texas and Utah. The Company operates in the oil and gas extraction industry, focused on exploration and production activities, onshore in the United States. Its portfolio is comprised of assets in the Midland Basin of West Texas, the Maverick Basin of South Texas, and the Uinta Basin of northeastern Utah.

Antero Resources is an exploration and production firm whose operations represent a pure play in the Marcellus Shale, located in northern West Virginia. The company started in 2002 as an E&P focused on the Barnett Shale (Fort Worth, Texas). Antero redefined itself in Appalachia's Marcellus Shale in 2005. In 2012, shortly before Antero's 2013 IPO, Antero Midstream Partners was formed to handle the company's rapidly growing gas volumes. In 2026, the firm narrowed its focus further by selling its Ohio Utica assets and using the proceeds to acquire additional Marcellus acreage from HG Energy. Just over half of its production and earning power is tied to natural gas, with the remainder mostly NGLs, where it holds a leading position, and some crude oil.