Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) Lowered to Sell Rating by Wall Street Zen

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report released on Saturday.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on ARES. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Ares Management from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $182.00 to $155.00 in a report on Friday, February 6th. Wolfe Research set a $210.00 target price on shares of Ares Management and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. UBS Group set a $148.00 price target on shares of Ares Management in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Ares Management from $180.00 to $173.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised shares of Ares Management from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $157.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, February 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ares Management has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $182.67.

Ares Management Trading Down 5.2%

NYSE:ARES opened at $111.88 on Friday. Ares Management has a 52 week low of $108.67 and a 52 week high of $195.26. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $150.67 and a 200 day moving average of $159.23. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 66.20, a PEG ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.52.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.71 by ($0.26). The firm had revenue of $1.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.38 billion. Ares Management had a return on equity of 19.26% and a net margin of 9.41%.During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.55 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ares Management will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ares Management

In related news, Director Judy D. Olian purchased 480 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $124.43 per share, with a total value of $59,726.40. Following the transaction, the director owned 29,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,699,801.62. This trade represents a 1.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ashish Bhutani acquired 10,000 shares of Ares Management stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were bought at an average price of $126.61 per share, with a total value of $1,266,100.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 34,071 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,313,729.31. The trade was a 41.54% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 36.86% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ares Management

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ARES. Alpine Global Management LLC grew its stake 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 worth $11,067,000 after purchasing an additional 66,110 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Ares Management by 40,652.1% during the fourth quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 807,300 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $130,484,000 after buying an additional 805,319 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in Ares Management by 269,116.7% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 16,153 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $2,611,000 after buying an additional 16,147 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its position in Ares Management by 16.0% during the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 5,481 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $886,000 after buying an additional 758 shares during the period. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ares Management by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 74,810 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $12,092,000 after acquiring an additional 1,166 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.03% of the company’s stock.

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.