Barclays Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) Stock Price

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES - Get Free Report) had its target price decreased by Barclays from $217.00 to $142.00 in a research note issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "overweight" rating on the asset manager's stock. Barclays's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 2.98% from the stock's current price.

ARES has been the topic of several other research reports. Bank of America dropped their target price on Ares Management from $221.00 to $201.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Ares Management from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $166.00 to $202.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Ares Management from $188.00 to $166.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Ares Management in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Ares Management from $215.00 to $187.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $166.07.

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Ares Management Stock Up 1.6 %

NYSE ARES traded up $2.12 on Monday, reaching $137.89. 3,184,457 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,372,277. Ares Management has a 12 month low of $110.63 and a 12 month high of $200.49. The company has a market cap of $43.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 67.93, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $157.85 and a 200-day moving average price of $168.97. 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 (NYSE:ARES - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $1.23 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%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Ares Management will post 5.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Michael J. Arougheti sold 110,845 shares of the firm's 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,400,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $214,438,000. This trade represents a 7.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider R. Kipp Deveer sold 78,933 shares of Ares Management stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 approximately $218,523,000. This represents a 6.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 329,113 shares of company stock worth $54,409,915. 1.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ares Management

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ARES. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in 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 period. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ares Management during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Ares Management by 104.8% during the 4th quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 170 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Elequin Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of Ares Management in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in Ares Management in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. 50.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.