Natixis Sells 2,399 Shares of Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES)

Natixis cut its position in shares of Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES - Free Report) by 17.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,130 shares of the asset manager's stock after selling 2,399 shares during the quarter. Natixis' holdings in Ares Management were worth $1,970,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ares Management by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC now owns 14,022 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $2,482,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank increased its stake in Ares Management by 9.8% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 704 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $125,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Ares Management by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,799 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $496,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ares Management by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 2,352 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $416,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. 50.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ares Management Stock Performance

Ares Management stock opened at $141.58 on Wednesday. Ares Management Co. has a twelve month low of $110.63 and a twelve month high of $200.49. The company has a market capitalization of $44.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 69.75, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.32. The stock's 50 day moving average is $151.18 and its 200 day moving average is $168.14. 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 (NYSE:ARES - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $1.23 earnings per share (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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Ares Management Co. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ares Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were given a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. This is a boost from Ares Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.16%. Ares Management's dividend payout ratio is 183.25%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Ashish Bhutani bought 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $141.33 per share, for a total transaction of $1,413,300.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 22,905 shares of the company's stock, 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 accessible 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 shares were 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 owns 1,400,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $214,438,000. This represents a 7.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 329,113 shares of company stock valued at $54,409,915. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen dropped 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. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on Ares Management from $188.00 to $166.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Bank of America dropped 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. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on 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. Finally, Oppenheimer raised Ares Management from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $159.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $165.00.

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.

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