Rakuten Investment Management Inc. Buys Shares of 43,987 Ares Management Corporation $ARES

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 43,987 shares of the asset manager’s stock, valued at approximately $7,033,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ARES. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lifted its holdings in Ares Management by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 59,164 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $9,460,000 after purchasing an additional 823 shares in the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC increased its position in shares of Ares Management by 10.8% during the third quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 24,874 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $3,754,000 after buying an additional 2,422 shares during the period. Triasima Portfolio Management inc. increased its position in shares of Ares Management by 3.1% during the third quarter. Triasima Portfolio Management inc. now owns 48,743 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $7,794,000 after buying an additional 1,456 shares during the period. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ares Management in the third quarter worth about $222,000. Finally, Americana Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Ares Management by 79.8% in the third quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 4,255 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $680,000 after acquiring an additional 1,888 shares during the period. 50.03% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ares Management Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE ARES opened at $161.52 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 69.32, a PEG ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.53. Ares Management Corporation has a one year low of $110.63 and a one year high of $200.49. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $164.25 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $168.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.22 and a quick ratio of 0.22.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 31st. The asset manager reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.05. Ares Management had a net margin of 11.72% and a return on equity of 16.33%. The company had revenue of $1.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.55 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Ares Management Corporation will post 5.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ares Management Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 17th were issued a $0.8438 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 17th. This represents a $3.38 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Ares Management’s payout ratio is currently 192.27%.

Insider Activity at Ares Management

In other news, CEO Michael J. Arougheti sold 186,197 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.75, for a total value of $28,441,591.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 290,997 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,449,791.75. The trade was a 39.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders sold a total of 590,000 shares of company stock valued at $90,653,808 in the last quarter. 36.86% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on ARES shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Ares Management from $188.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Ares Management in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Ares Management in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Wolfe Research set a $210.00 price objective on Ares Management and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $224.00 target price on shares of Ares Management in a research note on Tuesday. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $194.57.

Ares Management Company Profile

Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) is a global alternative asset manager that provides investment solutions across credit, private equity and real estate. The firm originates and manages capital across a range of strategies including direct lending, syndicated and special situations credit, private equity buyouts and growth investments, and real estate equity and debt. Ares serves institutional investors, insurance companies, pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and high‑net‑worth clients through both commingled funds and bespoke managed account structures.

Within credit, Ares offers strategies spanning leveraged loans, structured credit, opportunistic and distressed debt, and specialty finance, with an emphasis on underwriting, portfolio construction and active asset management.