Advent International L.P. Sells 120,800 Shares of Ares Management Corporation $ARES

Advent International L.P. decreased its stake in shares of Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) by 76.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 36,735 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 120,800 shares during the period. Ares Management makes up about 0.1% of Advent International L.P.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Advent International L.P.’s holdings in Ares Management were worth $5,874,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Ares Management by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,676,470 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $3,465,851,000 after purchasing an additional 740,103 shares during the period. Capital International Investors raised its stake in shares of Ares Management by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,243,194 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $678,448,000 after purchasing an additional 15,913 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ares Management by 2.8% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,534,773 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $565,180,000 after purchasing an additional 94,825 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ares Management by 7.6% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,454,083 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $596,280,000 after purchasing an additional 244,286 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Ares Management by 10.2% during the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 2,586,253 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $413,516,000 after buying an additional 238,531 shares during the period. 50.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ares Management

In other news, Director Judy D. Olian acquired 480 shares of Ares Management stock in a transaction dated 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 purchase, the director owned 29,734 shares in the company, valued at $3,699,801.62. This trade represents a 1.64% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Ashish Bhutani purchased 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $126.61 per share, for a total transaction of $1,266,100.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 34,071 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,313,729.31. The trade was a 41.54% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 36.86% of the company’s stock.

Ares Management Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ARES opened at $101.54 on Friday. Ares Management Corporation has a 12-month low of $95.80 and a 12-month high of $195.26. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $139.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $153.77. The firm has a market cap of $33.45 billion, a PE ratio of 60.08, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by ($0.26). The company had revenue of $1.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.38 billion. Ares Management had a net margin of 9.41% and a return on equity of 19.04%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.55 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Ares Management Corporation will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current 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 issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.3%. This is a boost from Ares Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. Ares Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 265.09%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ARES has been the subject of a number of research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Ares Management from $180.00 to $173.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Morgan Stanley set a $178.00 target price on Ares Management in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Ares Management from $189.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Ares Management from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $182.00 to $155.00 in a report on Friday, February 6th. 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 research 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 issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $182.67.

Ares Management 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.