Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $138.92.

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Ares Management from $141.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Barclays raised their target price on Ares Management from $151.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of Ares Management in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd. UBS Group reduced their target price on Ares Management from $160.00 to $158.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on Ares Management from $158.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th.

Ares Management Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of Ares Management stock opened at $145.18 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $141.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $137.86. The company has a market cap of $44.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 65.10, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Ares Management has a 1 year low of $96.00 and a 1 year high of $155.53.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 2nd. The asset manager reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $788.68 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $860.09 million. Ares Management had a net margin of 12.86% and a return on equity of 21.22%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.90 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Ares Management will post 4.23 EPS for the current year.

Ares Management Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be paid a $0.93 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 16th. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.56%. Ares Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 166.82%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider David B. Kaplan sold 110,341 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.35, for a total value of $15,486,359.35. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 139,659 shares in the company, valued at $19,601,140.65. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, Chairman Bennett Rosenthal sold 150,000 shares of Ares Management stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.94, for a total value of $19,791,000.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider David B. Kaplan sold 110,341 shares of Ares Management stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.35, for a total value of $15,486,359.35. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 139,659 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,601,140.65. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 815,307 shares of company stock worth $113,894,539. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ares Management

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Compass Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ares Management in the first quarter worth about $28,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Ares Management during the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. West Oak Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Ares Management by 66.7% during the 1st quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 250 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Ares Management by 555.0% during the 1st quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 262 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 222 shares during the period. Finally, TFO Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Ares Management by 29,200.0% during the 4th quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 293 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 292 shares during the period. 50.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ares Management Company Profile

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.