Insider Buying: Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) Director Acquires 10,000 Shares of Stock

Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES - Get Free Report) Director Ashish Bhutani acquired 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $141.33 per share, with a total value of $1,413,300.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 22,905 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,237,163.65. The trade was a 77.49 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Ares Management Stock Performance

ARES stock traded up $2.75 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $147.11. 1,481,695 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,202,710. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. Ares Management Co. has a 52 week low of $125.23 and a 52 week high of $200.49. The business has a 50-day moving average of $178.62 and a two-hundred day moving average of $170.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.40 billion, a PE ratio of 72.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.23.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 net margin of 11.35% and a return on equity of 16.64%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ares Management Co. will post 5.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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Ares Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.05%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This is a boost from Ares Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. Ares Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 183.25%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in Ares Management by 67.0% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 162 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in Ares Management in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Ares Management by 104.8% in the fourth quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 170 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Elequin Capital LP acquired a new position in Ares Management in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Point72 DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in Ares Management in the third quarter worth about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.03% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on ARES shares. JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Ares Management in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Ares Management from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $166.00 to $202.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Ares Management from $207.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Ares Management from $224.00 to $217.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Ares Management from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $176.17.

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.