Natixis Advisors LLC Has $7.39 Million Position in Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES)

Natixis Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES - Free Report) by 5.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 41,757 shares of the asset manager's stock after acquiring an additional 2,156 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC's holdings in Ares Management were worth $7,393,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ares Management during the fourth quarter worth approximately $335,858,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Ares Management by 9.0% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 8,244,179 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $1,284,773,000 after buying an additional 679,462 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ares Management by 31.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,849,737 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $444,103,000 after buying an additional 678,549 shares during the period. Eagle Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ares Management by 26.4% during the 3rd quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,344,383 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $229,056,000 after acquiring an additional 280,656 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Ares Management by 5.1% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,826,479 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $596,318,000 after acquiring an additional 187,184 shares during the last quarter. 50.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Ares Management Stock Performance

Ares Management stock traded up $2.17 on Tuesday, reaching $155.92. 3,835,827 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,216,245. The stock has a market cap of $49.18 billion, a PE ratio of 76.81, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.23. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $174.89 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $170.35. Ares Management Co. has a twelve month low of $125.23 and a twelve month high of $200.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53.

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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Ares Management Co. will post 5.28 EPS for the current year.

Ares Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $1.12 dividend. This is an increase from Ares Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.87%. Ares Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 183.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Ashish Bhutani purchased 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 22,905 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,237,163.65. This trade represents a 77.49 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Bennett Rosenthal sold 69,809 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.01, for a total transaction of $11,239,947.09. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 30,191 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,861,052.91. This represents a 69.81 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 218,268 shares of company stock valued at $37,431,786. 1.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Ares Management from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays lowered their price target on Ares Management from $224.00 to $217.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Ares Management from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $166.00 to $202.00 in a report on Friday, December 20th. JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Ares Management in a research note 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 analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $173.83.

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.