Morgan Stanley Cuts Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) Price Target to $152.00

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES - Get Free Report) had its price objective cut by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley from $197.00 to $152.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "equal weight" rating on the asset manager's stock. Morgan Stanley's price objective suggests a potential upside of 7.54% from the company's current price.

ARES has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Ares Management from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $166.00 to $202.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Citizens Jmp upgraded Ares Management from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $165.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Ares Management from $217.00 to $142.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Ares Management from $187.00 to $156.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on Ares Management from $221.00 to $201.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $165.00.

Ares Management Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of ARES stock traded up $1.75 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $141.35. 1,209,962 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,383,772. The stock has a market cap of $44.58 billion, a PE ratio of 69.63, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $152.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $168.34. Ares Management has a 1 year low of $110.63 and a 1 year high of $200.49.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 16.64% and a net margin of 11.35%. Research analysts predict that Ares Management will post 5.28 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ares Management

In other Ares Management news, CEO Michael J. Arougheti sold 110,845 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The shares were 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 directly owns 1,400,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $214,438,000. This trade represents a 7.34 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Ashish Bhutani purchased 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $141.33 per share, for a total transaction of $1,413,300.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 22,905 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,237,163.65. The trade was a 77.49 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 329,113 shares of company stock valued at $54,409,915. Insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ares Management

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ares Management in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Ares Management by 104.8% during the fourth quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 170 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Elequin Capital LP purchased a new position in Ares Management in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in shares of Ares Management during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 50.03% of the stock is currently 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.