Partners Group Holding AG Decreases Stake in Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES)

Partners Group Holding AG cut its holdings in Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES - Free Report) by 8.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 251,558 shares of the asset manager's stock after selling 23,652 shares during the quarter. Ares Management comprises 1.6% of Partners Group Holding AG's holdings, making the stock its 11th largest position. Partners Group Holding AG owned 0.08% of Ares Management worth $44,533,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ARES. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Ares Management by 67.0% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 162 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in Ares Management during the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in Ares Management during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Ares Management by 53.4% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 227 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Avalon Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Ares Management during the fourth quarter worth about $53,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.03% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Ares Management

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

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Ares Management Trading Down 3.0 %

Shares of Ares Management stock traded down $4.62 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $148.66. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,921,765 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,239,907. The stock has a market cap of $46.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 73.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05. Ares Management Co. has a twelve month low of $125.23 and a twelve month high of $200.49. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $173.01 and a 200-day moving average of $170.21.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 forecast that Ares Management Co. will post 5.28 EPS for the current year.

Ares Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.01%. This is a boost from Ares Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Ares Management's dividend payout ratio is 183.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on ARES shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Ares Management from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their target price for the company from $166.00 to $202.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. StockNews.com cut shares of Ares Management from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Ares Management from $215.00 to $187.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Barclays cut their price target on Ares Management from $224.00 to $217.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Ares Management in a report on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $173.83.

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.