Quilter Plc Has $113.80 Million Position in Ares Management Corporation $ARES

Quilter Plc raised its position in Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) by 5.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 704,069 shares of the asset manager’s stock after purchasing an additional 37,366 shares during the period. Ares Management makes up about 1.9% of Quilter Plc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Quilter Plc’s holdings in Ares Management were worth $113,799,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ares Management by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 190 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Ares Management during the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Ares Management during the third quarter worth about $50,000. First Horizon Corp bought a new position in Ares Management during the third quarter worth about $51,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its stake in Ares Management by 182.6% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 421 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 272 shares during the period. 50.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ares Management Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE:ARES opened at $102.29 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $120.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $145.84. Ares Management Corporation has a 52-week low of $95.80 and a 52-week high of $195.26. The company has a market cap of $33.70 billion, a PE ratio of 60.53, a PEG ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.22.

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

Ares Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 17th. This is a positive change from Ares Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.3%. Ares Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently 319.53%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on ARES shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Ares Management from $189.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 6th. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on Ares Management from $224.00 to $215.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group set a $148.00 target price on shares of Ares Management in a report on Friday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley set a $178.00 price target on shares of Ares Management in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Ares Management from $180.00 to $173.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ares Management presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $179.73.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ares Management

In other Ares Management news, Director Judy D. Olian acquired 480 shares of Ares Management stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $124.43 per share, for a total transaction of $59,726.40. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 29,734 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,699,801.62. This represents a 1.64% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Ashish Bhutani acquired 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was bought at an average price of $126.61 per share, with a total value 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 ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 36.86% 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.