Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) Price Target Cut to $131.00 by Analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) had its price objective decreased by research analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from $165.00 to $131.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the asset manager’s stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s price target indicates a potential upside of 27.99% from the stock’s previous close.

ARES has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Barclays cut their target price on Ares Management from $222.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group set a $148.00 target price on shares of Ares Management in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Raymond James Financial raised Ares Management from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $157.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, February 9th. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on Ares Management from $224.00 to $215.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on Ares Management from $180.00 to $173.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $177.47.

Ares Management Stock Performance

Shares of ARES traded down $0.48 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $102.35. 1,488,564 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,761,919. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $119.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $145.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.22. Ares Management has a twelve month low of $95.80 and a twelve month high of $195.26. The company has a market capitalization of $33.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.65, a PEG ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.52.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by ($0.26). Ares Management had a return on equity of 19.04% and a net margin of 9.41%.The firm had revenue of $1.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.55 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ares Management will post 5.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Ares Management

In other Ares Management news, Director Judy D. Olian acquired 480 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were bought at an average price of $124.43 per share, with a total value of $59,726.40. Following the acquisition, the director owned 29,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,699,801.62. This trade represents a 1.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Ashish Bhutani acquired 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $126.61 per share, for a total transaction of $1,266,100.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 34,071 shares in the company, valued at $4,313,729.31. This represents a 41.54% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 36.86% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ares Management

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ARES. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Ares Management by 20.2% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,050,425 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $4,210,530,000 after purchasing an additional 4,373,955 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Ares Management in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $396,165,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Ares Management by 55.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,489,004 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $883,716,000 after purchasing an additional 1,963,460 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in Ares Management by 26.3% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,705,599 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $922,196,000 after purchasing an additional 1,187,174 shares in the last quarter. Finally, River Road Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Ares Management by 40,652.1% in the 4th quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 807,300 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $130,484,000 after purchasing an additional 805,319 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.03% of the company’s stock.

Ares Management Company Profile

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.