Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $179.7333.

Several research firms recently weighed in on ARES. Wolfe Research set a $210.00 price objective on Ares Management and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Wall Street Zen lowered Ares Management from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Ares Management in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Ares Management from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $182.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, UBS Group set a $148.00 price objective on shares of Ares Management in a research report on Friday, February 20th.

Insider Activity at Ares Management

In other Ares Management news, Director Judy D. Olian acquired 480 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $124.43 per share, with a total value of $59,726.40. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 29,734 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,699,801.62. This trade represents a 1.64% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Ashish Bhutani acquired 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 36.86% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ares Management

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in shares of Ares Management by 194.4% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 395,965 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $64,186,000 after acquiring an additional 261,474 shares in the last quarter. Osbon Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ares Management during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Alpine Global Management LLC increased its position in 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 in the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Ares Management by 40,652.1% in the 4th quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 807,300 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $130,484,000 after purchasing an additional 805,319 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Ares Management by 269,116.7% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 16,153 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $2,611,000 after purchasing an additional 16,147 shares during the last quarter. 50.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ares Management Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of ARES opened at $107.95 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’s 50-day moving average is $127.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $149.38. Ares Management has a twelve month low of $95.80 and a twelve month high of $195.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 63.87, a PEG ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.55.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by ($0.26). The company had revenue of $1.50 billion for 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 quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.55 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Ares Management 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.0%. This is a boost from Ares Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. Ares Management’s payout ratio is currently 319.53%.

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.