APG Asset Management N.V. Takes $16.84 Million Position in Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES)

APG Asset Management N.V. bought a new position in Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 98,500 shares of the asset manager's stock, valued at approximately $16,840,000.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ares Management by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,807,718 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $3,329,530,000 after acquiring an additional 907,757 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Ares Management by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 8,277,879 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $1,465,433,000 after buying an additional 33,700 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Ares Management by 12.8% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,109,070 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $1,258,519,000 after buying an additional 807,361 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in shares of Ares Management by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,126,442 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $907,534,000 after acquiring an additional 66,671 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Ares Management by 0.5% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,678,177 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $600,830,000 after acquiring an additional 18,773 shares during the last quarter. 50.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Insider Activity

In other Ares Management news, insider R. Kipp Deveer sold 78,933 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.02, for a total transaction of $14,998,848.66. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,150,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $218,523,000. This represents a 6.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael J. Arougheti sold 110,845 shares of Ares Management stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.17, for a total value of $16,978,128.65. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,400,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $214,438,000. The trade was a 7.34 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 329,113 shares of company stock worth $54,409,915 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on ARES. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Ares Management from $188.00 to $166.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Ares Management from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Ares Management from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $166.00 to $202.00 in a report on Friday, December 20th. Bank of America cut their price target on Ares Management from $221.00 to $201.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their target price on Ares Management from $216.00 to $161.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Ares Management has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $165.40.

Ares Management Stock Up 2.3 %

Shares of ARES stock traded up $3.22 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $141.60. 550,273 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,374,390. Ares Management Co. has a 52 week low of $110.63 and a 52 week high of $200.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The business has a 50 day moving average of $156.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $168.93. The company has a market capitalization of $44.66 billion, a PE ratio of 69.75, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.32.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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%. Analysts anticipate that Ares Management Co. 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 was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were paid a dividend of $1.12 per share. This is a boost from Ares Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.16%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. Ares Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 183.25%.

Ares Management Company Profile

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.