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

Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the thirteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $176.17.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on ARES shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Ares Management from $176.00 to $174.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Ares Management from $224.00 to $217.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Ares Management from $207.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Ares Management from $184.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Ares Management from $146.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, November 11th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ares Management

In other news, insider David B. Kaplan sold 28,887 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.82, for a total transaction of $5,078,912.34. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 87,461 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,377,393.02. This trade represents a 24.83 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider R. Kipp Deveer sold 78,933 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 1,150,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $218,523,000. This trade represents a 6.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 392,200 shares of company stock valued at $70,426,505. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ares Management

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in Ares Management by 67.0% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 162 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new stake in Ares Management in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Ares Management by 104.8% in the 4th quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 170 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. Elequin Capital LP acquired a new stake in Ares Management in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in Ares Management in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.03% of the company's stock.

Ares Management Stock Performance

Shares of ARES stock traded down $5.83 on Thursday, hitting $173.87. The company's stock had a trading volume of 564,107 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,053,221. Ares Management has a fifty-two week low of $125.23 and a fifty-two week high of $200.49. The stock's 50 day moving average is $185.12 and its 200-day moving average is $168.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05. The company has a market capitalization of $54.43 billion, a PE ratio of 85.65, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.18.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $1.23 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.35 by ($0.12). Ares Management had a return on equity of 16.64% and a net margin of 11.35%. Equities research analysts expect 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This is an increase from Ares Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. Ares Management's dividend payout ratio 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.