Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) Director Acquires $1,266,100.00 in Stock

Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) Director Ashish Bhutani acquired 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $126.61 per share, for a total transaction of $1,266,100.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 34,071 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,313,729.31. This trade represents a 41.54% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Ares Management Stock Performance

Shares of ARES traded down $0.39 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $136.86. The stock had a trading volume of 3,679,936 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,657,089. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $162.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $164.45. Ares Management Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $110.63 and a fifty-two week high of $195.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 80.98, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.22.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by ($0.26). Ares Management had a net margin of 9.41% and a return on equity of 19.26%. The firm had revenue of $1.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.55 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ares Management Corporation will post 5.28 EPS for the current year.

Ares Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. This is a positive change from Ares Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. Ares Management’s payout ratio is currently 265.09%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ARES. Barclays reduced their target price on Ares Management from $222.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley set a $178.00 price target on shares of Ares Management in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of Ares Management in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Ares Management from $201.00 to $198.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Ares Management from $188.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $185.13.

Institutional Trading of Ares Management

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ARES. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its stake in Ares Management by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 190 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Ares Management during the second quarter worth $35,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Ares Management in the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ares Management in the 4th quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ares Management during the 4th quarter worth $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.03% of the company’s stock.

About Ares Management

Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) is a global alternative asset manager that provides investment solutions across credit, private equity and real estate. The firm originates and manages capital across a range of strategies including direct lending, syndicated and special situations credit, private equity buyouts and growth investments, and real estate equity and debt. Ares serves institutional investors, insurance companies, pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and high?net?worth clients through both commingled funds and bespoke managed account structures.

Within credit, Ares offers strategies spanning leveraged loans, structured credit, opportunistic and distressed debt, and specialty finance, with an emphasis on underwriting, portfolio construction and active asset management.