Unigestion Holding SA Makes New Investment in Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES)

Unigestion Holding SA purchased a new position in shares of Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 4,113 shares of the asset manager’s stock, valued at approximately $641,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Ares Management by 0.7% during the third quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 11,538 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $1,798,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ares Management by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 6,392 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $1,070,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ares Management by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,560 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $399,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. increased its position in shares of Ares Management by 21.0% in the third quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 559 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $87,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Finally, West Oak Capital LLC raised its holdings in Ares Management by 40.0% during the second quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 350 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 50.03% of the company’s stock.

Ares Management Stock Up 3.6 %

ARES opened at $182.45 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $169.17 and a 200-day moving average of $152.17. The company has a market capitalization of $57.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 84.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.19. Ares Management Co. has a fifty-two week low of $110.41 and a fifty-two week high of $183.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 1st. The asset manager reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.01. Ares Management had a net margin of 12.51% and a return on equity of 19.89%. The firm had revenue of $1.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $833.58 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.83 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Ares Management Co. will post 4.06 EPS for the current year.

Ares Management Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.93 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 17th. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.04%. Ares Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 171.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Ares Management from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Ares Management from $184.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on shares of Ares Management in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Ares Management from $176.00 to $174.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Ares Management from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ares Management presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $166.36.

Insider Activity

In other Ares Management news, insider R. Kipp Deveer sold 115,838 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.83, for a total value of $20,599,471.54. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,259,162 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $223,916,778.46. This trade represents a 8.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Ryan Berry sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.99, for a total value of $6,719,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 304,202 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,102,893.98. This trade represents a 11.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 644,810 shares of company stock worth $111,116,340. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.