Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $173.83.

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com lowered Ares Management from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Ares Management from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $166.00 to $202.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Ares Management in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Ares Management from $215.00 to $187.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Ares Management from $224.00 to $217.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 6th.

Ares Management Stock Performance

NYSE ARES opened at $147.95 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.67 billion, a PE ratio of 72.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.23. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $175.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $170.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.05. Ares Management has a 1-year low of $125.23 and a 1-year high of $200.49.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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, research analysts predict that Ares Management will post 5.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ares Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $1.12 per share. This is a positive change from Ares Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.03%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Ares Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently 183.25%.

Insider Activity at Ares Management

In other news, Director Ashish Bhutani acquired 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $141.33 per share, with a total value of $1,413,300.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 22,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,237,163.65. This trade represents a 77.49 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider R. Kipp Deveer sold 78,933 shares of the 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 $218,523,000. This represents a 6.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 218,268 shares of company stock valued at $37,431,786 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ares Management

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ARES. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in Ares Management by 67.0% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 162 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new stake in Ares Management during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Ares Management by 104.8% during the fourth quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 170 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Elequin Capital LP acquired a new stake in Ares Management during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Point72 DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in Ares Management during the third quarter worth about $36,000. 50.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Ares Management

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.