Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) Upgraded at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) to a hold rating in a report published on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Citizens Jmp reduced their price target on shares of Ares Management from $190.00 to $160.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Ares Management from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 4th. Barclays cut their target price on Ares Management from $140.00 to $139.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ares Management in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Ares Management in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $158.93.

Ares Management Trading Down 0.8%

ARES opened at $119.76 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. Ares Management has a twelve month low of $95.80 and a twelve month high of $195.26. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $123.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $125.94.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last released its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The asset manager reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.32 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $1.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.28 billion. Ares Management had a net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 22.14%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.09 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Ares Management will post 5.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ares Management Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.5%. Ares Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 251.16%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ares Management

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ARES. Osbon Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Ares Management during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ares Management in the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ares Management in the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Ares Management during the fourth quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, Western Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ares Management during the first quarter worth about $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.03% of the company’s stock.

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.