Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $179.7333.

ARES has been the topic of several research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Ares Management from $189.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th. Wolfe Research set a $210.00 price objective on Ares Management and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on Ares Management from $224.00 to $215.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Raymond James Financial raised Ares Management from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $157.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on Ares Management from $140.00 to $112.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th.

Insider Activity at Ares Management

In other Ares Management news, Director Judy D. Olian purchased 480 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $124.43 per share, for a total transaction of $59,726.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 29,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,699,801.62. The trade was a 1.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ashish Bhutani acquired 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $126.61 per share, with a total value of $1,266,100.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 34,071 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,313,729.31. This trade represents a 41.54% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 36.86% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ares Management

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its position in Ares Management by 194.4% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 395,965 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $64,186,000 after buying an additional 261,474 shares in the last quarter. Osbon Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ares Management during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Alpine Global Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ares Management by 2,802.5% during the 4th quarter. Alpine Global Management LLC now owns 68,469 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $11,067,000 after buying an additional 66,110 shares in the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Ares Management by 40,652.1% during the 4th quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 807,300 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $130,484,000 after acquiring an additional 805,319 shares during the period. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ares Management by 269,116.7% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 16,153 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $2,611,000 after acquiring an additional 16,147 shares during the period. 50.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ares Management Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ARES opened at $102.29 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $121.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $146.84. Ares Management has a 52-week low of $95.80 and a 52-week high of $195.26. The company has a market cap of $33.70 billion, a PE ratio of 60.53, a PEG ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.71 by ($0.26). Ares Management had a net margin of 9.41% and a return on equity of 19.04%. The company had revenue of $1.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.55 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Ares Management will post 5.28 EPS for the current year.

Ares Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were paid a $1.35 dividend. This is a boost from Ares Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.3%. Ares Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 319.53%.

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.