Czech National Bank Buys Shares of 54,321 Ares Management Corporation $ARES

Czech National Bank purchased a new stake in Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 54,321 shares of the asset manager’s stock, valued at approximately $8,780,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Ares Management by 116.7% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 10,360 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,519,000 after buying an additional 5,579 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in Ares Management by 5.5% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,344 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $197,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Ares Management by 42.7% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,197 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $909,000 after acquiring an additional 1,853 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in Ares Management by 15.3% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 1,902 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $279,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ares Management by 708.2% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 493 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $72,000 after acquiring an additional 432 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.03% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Ashish Bhutani acquired 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $126.61 per share, with a total value of $1,266,100.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 34,071 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,313,729.31. This trade represents a 41.54% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Judy D. Olian bought 480 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was bought at an average price of $124.43 per share, with a total value of $59,726.40. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 29,734 shares in the company, valued at $3,699,801.62. This represents a 1.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 36.86% of the company’s stock.

Ares Management Stock Performance

Shares of ARES opened at $106.43 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The firm has a market cap of $35.06 billion, a PE ratio of 62.97, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.55. Ares Management Corporation has a 12 month low of $95.80 and a 12 month high of $195.26. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $125.81 and a 200-day moving average price of $148.90.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last announced its earnings results 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 return on equity of 19.04% and a net margin of 9.41%.The business had revenue of $1.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.55 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Ares Management Corporation will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ares Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This is a positive change from Ares Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.1%. Ares Management’s payout ratio is presently 319.53%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ARES has been the subject of several recent research reports. Barclays reduced their price target on Ares Management from $222.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group set a $148.00 price objective on Ares Management in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Ares Management from $180.00 to $173.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Wolfe Research set a $210.00 price target on shares of Ares Management and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $178.00 price target on shares of Ares Management in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $179.73.

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.