Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) Upgraded by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods to “Hold” Rating

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Morgan Stanley set a $160.00 price objective on Ares Management in a research report on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Ares Management from $125.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Ares Management in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Ares Management from $188.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Ares Management from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $158.93.

Ares Management Stock Down 0.4%

ARES stock opened at $120.83 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $123.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $126.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The company has a market capitalization of $39.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.51. Ares Management has a 52 week low of $95.80 and a 52 week high of $195.26.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last announced its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The asset manager reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.32 by ($0.08). Ares Management had a net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 22.14%. The firm had revenue of $1.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.28 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.09 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Ares Management will post 5.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ares Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. Ares Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 251.16%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ares Management

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Ares Management by 116.7% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 10,360 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,519,000 after purchasing an additional 5,579 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Ares Management by 5.5% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,344 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $197,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in Ares Management by 42.7% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,197 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $909,000 after buying an additional 1,853 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its stake in Ares Management by 15.3% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 1,902 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $279,000 after buying an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in Ares Management by 708.2% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 493 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 432 shares during the period. 50.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.