Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) Receives $176.17 Consensus PT from Analysts

Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $176.17.

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Ares Management in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Ares Management from $207.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Ares Management from $176.00 to $174.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. TD Cowen raised their price target on Ares Management from $184.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Ares Management from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider R. Kipp Deveer sold 78,933 shares of Ares Management stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.02, for a total transaction of $14,998,848.66. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,150,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $218,523,000. The trade was a 6.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Ryan Berry sold 14,357 shares of Ares Management stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.16, for a total value of $2,586,557.12. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 233,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,015,834.24. This trade represents a 5.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 304,823 shares of company stock valued at $55,063,881 over the last quarter. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC lifted its holdings in Ares Management by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC now owns 14,022 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $2,482,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in Ares Management by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 704 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $125,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the period. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Ares Management by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,799 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $496,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in Ares Management by 67.0% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 162 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Ares Management by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 2,352 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $416,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. 50.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ares Management Price Performance

ARES opened at $168.81 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $184.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $168.97. Ares Management has a 1 year low of $125.23 and a 1 year high of $200.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.85 billion, a PE ratio of 83.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.18.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.35 by ($0.12). Ares Management had a net margin of 11.35% and a return on equity of 16.64%. Research analysts anticipate that Ares Management will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ares Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. This is an increase from Ares Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.65%. Ares Management’s payout ratio is 183.25%.

About Ares Management

Ares Management Corporation operates as an alternative asset manager in the United States, Europe, and Asia. The company's Tradable Credit Group segment manages various types of investment funds, such as commingled and separately managed accounts for institutional investors, and publicly traded vehicles and sub-advised funds for retail investors in the tradable and non-investment grade corporate credit markets.