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

Shares of Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $192.1429.

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on ARES. Oppenheimer set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Ares Management and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Ares Management from $188.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. UBS Group initiated coverage on Ares Management in a report on Thursday, December 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $201.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Ares Management in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Ares Management from $218.00 to $222.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ares Management

In other news, CEO Michael J. Arougheti sold 186,197 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.75, for a total value of $28,441,591.75. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 290,997 shares in the company, valued at $44,449,791.75. This represents a 39.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 590,000 shares of company stock valued at $90,653,808. 36.86% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ares Management

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ares Management by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 190 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Ares Management in the 2nd quarter worth $35,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Ares Management during the third quarter valued at $40,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Ares Management during the second quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Ares Management during the third quarter valued at about $50,000. 50.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ares Management Price Performance

NYSE ARES opened at $175.85 on Friday. Ares Management has a one year low of $110.63 and a one year high of $200.49. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $161.57 and a 200 day moving average of $168.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.22. The company has a market capitalization of $57.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 75.47, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.53.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last posted its earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The asset manager reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.14 by $0.05. Ares Management had a net margin of 11.72% and a return on equity of 16.33%. The business had revenue of $1.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.55 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Ares Management will post 5.28 EPS for the current year.

Ares Management Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 17th were paid a dividend of $0.8438 per share. This represents a $3.38 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 17th. Ares Management’s payout ratio is currently 192.27%.

About Ares Management

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.