Optimize Financial Inc Purchases Shares of 2,336 Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES)

Optimize Financial Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 2,336 shares of the asset manager's stock, valued at approximately $414,000.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Ares Management by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,807,718 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $3,329,530,000 after buying an additional 907,757 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Ares Management by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 8,277,879 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $1,465,433,000 after acquiring an additional 33,700 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in Ares Management by 12.8% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,109,070 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $1,258,519,000 after purchasing an additional 807,361 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in shares of Ares Management by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,126,442 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $907,534,000 after purchasing an additional 66,671 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ares Management by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,678,177 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $600,830,000 after purchasing an additional 18,773 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 50.03% of the company's stock.

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Ares Management Stock Up 2.2 %

Shares of ARES traded up $3.01 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $141.39. 1,683,454 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,379,075. The company has a market capitalization of $44.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 69.65, 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. Ares Management Co. has a 52 week low of $110.63 and a 52 week high of $200.49. The company's 50 day moving average is $155.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $168.74.

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, sell-side analysts anticipate 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 issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. This is a positive change from Ares Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. Ares Management's dividend payout ratio is currently 183.25%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on ARES shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Ares Management from $187.00 to $156.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Ares Management from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $166.00 to $202.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of Ares Management from $188.00 to $166.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. JMP Securities upgraded Ares Management from a "market perform" rating to a "market outperform" rating and set a $165.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Citizens Jmp upgraded Ares Management from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $165.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $165.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ares Management

In other Ares Management news, insider R. Kipp Deveer sold 78,933 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,150,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $218,523,000. The trade was a 6.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider David B. Kaplan sold 69,526 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.99, for a total transaction of $11,192,990.74. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 30,474 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,906,009.26. This trade represents a 69.53 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 329,113 shares of company stock valued at $54,409,915. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Ares Management 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.