Partners Group Holding AG Buys 80,885 Shares of Ares Capital Corporation $ARCC

Partners Group Holding AG boosted its stake in Ares Capital Corporation (NASDAQ:ARCC) by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,767,154 shares of the investment management company’s stock after buying an additional 80,885 shares during the period. Ares Capital accounts for approximately 2.0% of Partners Group Holding AG’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Partners Group Holding AG owned 0.25% of Ares Capital worth $36,068,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ares Capital by 6.5% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 16,502 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $365,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in Ares Capital in the first quarter worth about $273,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ares Capital by 14.5% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,835,007 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $62,824,000 after purchasing an additional 358,829 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Ares Capital by 139.9% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 27,655 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $613,000 after buying an additional 16,128 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC bought a new position in Ares Capital during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $14,766,000. 27.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ares Capital

In other Ares Capital news, CEO Michael Kort Schnabel acquired 12,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $19.13 per share, with a total value of $239,125.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 40,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $774,765. The trade was a 44.64% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Scott C. Lem purchased 5,186 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $19.29 per share, with a total value of $100,037.94. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer directly owned 39,463 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $761,241.27. This trade represents a 15.13% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Ares Capital Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of ARCC stock opened at $19.51 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. Ares Capital Corporation has a 12-month low of $18.26 and a 12-month high of $23.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.49 and a beta of 0.59. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $20.04 and its 200 day moving average is $20.58.

Ares Capital (NASDAQ:ARCC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The investment management company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.50. The firm had revenue of $793.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $795.20 million. Ares Capital had a return on equity of 9.89% and a net margin of 42.56%.The company’s revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.55 EPS. Research analysts expect that Ares Capital Corporation will post 2.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Ares Capital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. Ares Capital’s dividend payout ratio is 103.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Ares Capital in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on shares of Ares Capital from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Ares Capital in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Ares Capital from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Ares Capital from $21.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $22.00.

Ares Capital Profile

Ares Capital Corporation (NASDAQ: ARCC) is a publicly traded business development company (BDC) that specializes in providing debt and equity financing solutions to U.S. middle-market companies. As a BDC, Ares Capital offers investors access to a diversified portfolio of tailored credit investments, including senior secured loans, unitranche financing, mezzanine debt and equity co-investments. The firm’s flexible capital structures are designed to support companies seeking growth capital, refinancing or strategic acquisitions.

Through its credit platform, Ares Capital focuses on originations, underwriting and portfolio management across a range of industries, with a particular emphasis on sectors such as healthcare, technology, industrials and business services.