Capital World Investors Has $1.90 Billion Holdings in Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES)

Capital World Investors increased its holdings in shares of Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES - Free Report) by 2.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,753,779 shares of the asset manager's stock after purchasing an additional 223,919 shares during the period. Capital World Investors owned 3.44% of Ares Management worth $1,903,741,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Ares Management in the 4th quarter valued at about $335,858,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Ares Management by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 715,258 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $126,622,000 after purchasing an additional 32,273 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Ares Management by 9.0% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 8,244,179 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $1,284,773,000 after purchasing an additional 679,462 shares in the last quarter. Caldwell Investment Management Ltd. increased its holdings in Ares Management by 134.1% during the 4th quarter. Caldwell Investment Management Ltd. now owns 10,300 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $1,842,000 after purchasing an additional 5,900 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Everence Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ares Management in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $749,000. 50.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ares Management Stock Performance

Shares of ARES traded up $4.50 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $141.58. 1,150,293 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,387,033. Ares Management Co. has a 12 month low of $110.63 and a 12 month high of $200.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 69.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.32. The business's 50-day moving average price is $152.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $168.33. 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 announced 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%. Equities analysts predict that Ares Management Co. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Ares Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders 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. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.16%. Ares Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 183.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ARES has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Ares Management from $216.00 to $161.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Ares Management from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Ares Management from $197.00 to $152.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. JMP Securities upgraded Ares Management from a "market perform" rating to a "market outperform" rating and set a $165.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on Ares Management from $221.00 to $201.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $165.00.

Insider Transactions at Ares Management

In other news, Director Ashish Bhutani purchased 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $141.33 per share, with a total value of $1,413,300.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 22,905 shares in the company, valued at $3,237,163.65. This trade represents a 77.49 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael J. Arougheti sold 110,845 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,400,000 shares in the company, valued at $214,438,000. This represents a 7.34 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 329,113 shares of company stock valued at $54,409,915. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

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.