Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) Cut to “Strong Sell” at Zacks Research

Zacks Research lowered shares of Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research report report published on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on ARES. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Ares Management in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Wolfe Research set a $210.00 target price on Ares Management and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley set a $178.00 target price on Ares Management in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Ares Management from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Ares Management from $165.00 to $131.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $173.27.

Ares Management Stock Up 2.3%

ARES stock opened at $104.59 on Monday. Ares Management has a twelve month low of $95.80 and a twelve month high of $195.26. The company has a market cap of $34.46 billion, a PE ratio of 61.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.52. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $117.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $144.42. 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 released its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by ($0.26). Ares Management had a return on equity of 19.04% and a net margin of 9.41%.The firm had revenue of $1.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.38 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.55 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ares Management will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Ares Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was 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 yield of 5.2%. Ares Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 319.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its stake in shares of Ares Management by 100.0% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 190 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Osbon Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ares Management in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Ares Management in the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ares Management in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Ares Management in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Institutional investors own 50.03% of the company’s stock.

Ares Management News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Ares Management this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays lowered its price target to $127 from $138 but kept an “overweight” rating, still implying roughly a 21% upside from the cited $104.58 level. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs cut its price target to $131 (from $165) but reiterated a “buy” rating, leaving an estimated ~25% upside from the $104.58 reference — a constructive signal from a major institutional analyst. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity: investors purchased about 9,717 call options (≈48% above typical call volume), suggesting speculative or hedged bullish positioning in ARES. (No direct link provided in the briefing.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage note — The Globe and Mail reports Goldman Sachs is sticking to its buy rating for Ares, repeating the institutional endorsement but not changing the market view materially. Goldman Sachs Sticks to Their Buy Rating for Ares Management (ARES)
• Neutral Sentiment: General market coverage of Ares appeared on CNN’s markets page, which can increase visibility but doesn’t by itself change fundamentals. CNN Markets: Ares Management Corporation
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded Ares from “hold” to “strong sell,” a sharp negative stance that could pressure sentiment among retail and some institutional investors. Zacks.com TickerReport

Ares Management Company 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.