Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Raymond James Financial

Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) from a market perform rating to a strong-buy rating in a report published on Monday, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have $157.00 price objective on the asset manager’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Morgan Stanley set a $178.00 target price on Ares Management in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of Ares Management from $188.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on shares of Ares Management from $189.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of Ares Management in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $185.13.

Ares Management Trading Up 5.1%

NYSE:ARES opened at $137.11 on Monday. Ares Management has a 52 week low of $110.63 and a 52 week high of $195.26. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $162.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $164.80. 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 firm has a market cap of $44.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 81.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.52.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last released its 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 business had revenue of $1.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.38 billion. Ares Management had a net margin of 9.41% and a return on equity of 19.26%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.55 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Ares Management will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ares Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.9%. This is a positive change from Ares Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. Ares Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 265.09%.

Insider Transactions at Ares Management

In other Ares Management news, CEO Michael J. Arougheti sold 56,257 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.26, for a total transaction of $8,846,975.82. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 590,000 shares of company stock worth $90,653,808. Insiders own 0.52% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ares Management

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Huntington National Bank boosted its stake in Ares Management by 18.6% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,139 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $184,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the period. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ares Management during the fourth quarter valued at about $3,519,000. Vulcan Value Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ares Management by 25.7% in the fourth quarter. Vulcan Value Partners LLC now owns 1,696,856 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $274,344,000 after buying an additional 346,607 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Ares Management by 55.7% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,489,004 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $883,716,000 after acquiring an additional 1,963,460 shares during the period. Finally, King Luther Capital Management Corp boosted its position in shares of Ares Management by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 186,957 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $30,218,000 after acquiring an additional 13,306 shares during the period. 50.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.