Brokerages Set Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) Target Price at $194.79

Shares of Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $189.3333.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Ares Management from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $155.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Ares Management from $222.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Ares Management from $201.00 to $198.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Morgan Stanley set a $178.00 price target on Ares Management in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $165.00 price objective on Ares Management in a research report on Friday.

Ares Management News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Ares Management this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ares reported continued fundraising and scale: assets under management crossed the $600 billion mark and the firm highlighted strong fundraising momentum, supporting fee growth and long‑term revenue outlook. Ares CEO Arougheti downplays fears of AI disrupting software businesses
• Positive Sentiment: Ares disclosed record U.S. direct lending origination — ~$19.4B in Q4 and ~$55.0B for the year — which boosts fee‑related earnings potential and demonstrates investor demand for private credit. Ares Announces Record Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2025 U.S. Direct Lending Origination Activity
• Positive Sentiment: The board approved a materially higher quarterly dividend ($1.35/share, a 60% increase) implying a ~4.4% yield — a clear return‑of‑capital signal that likely attracted income‑seeking investors. (Ex‑dividend: March 17.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue for Q4 came in above some estimates ($1.50B vs ~$1.38B consensus), reflecting fundraising and investing activity; this offsets, but does not erase, bottom‑line pressure. Ares Management Posts Higher 4Q Revenue, Citing Investor Demand
• Neutral Sentiment: Management commented that AI creates both disruption risks and investment opportunities; leadership is framing AI more as an allocation opportunity than an existential threat to their business model. Ares sees investment opportunities in AI disruption
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 EPS missed expectations ($1.45 vs $1.71 consensus) largely due to higher expenses and certain non‑recurring items; that miss triggered near‑term downside pressure and analyst caution on 2026 earnings. A Look At Ares Management (ARES) Valuation After Mixed Quarter And Earnings Miss
• Negative Sentiment: Market sentiment turned negative post‑earnings (including an AI‑fueled sector selloff), which earlier drove shares down despite the AUM prints — investors remain sensitive to near‑term growth and margin visibility for 2026. Ares shares tumble in AI-fueled rout even as assets hit record

Insider Transactions at Ares Management

In related news, CEO Michael J. Arougheti sold 186,197 shares of Ares Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.75, for a total transaction of $28,441,591.75. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 290,997 shares in the company, valued at $44,449,791.75. This trade represents a 39.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In the last three months, insiders have sold 590,000 shares of company stock valued at $90,653,808. 36.86% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ares Management

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in Ares Management by 116.7% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 10,360 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $1,519,000 after purchasing an additional 5,579 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in 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 valued at $197,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Ares Management by 42.7% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,197 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $909,000 after purchasing an additional 1,853 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth increased its position in Ares Management by 15.3% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 1,902 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $279,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in Ares Management by 708.2% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 493 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 432 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.03% of the company’s stock.

Ares Management Trading Up 7.3%

Shares of ARES stock opened at $130.74 on Thursday. Ares Management has a fifty-two week low of $110.63 and a fifty-two week high of $195.26. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $162.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $165.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.22. The company has a market cap of $42.73 billion, a PE ratio of 77.36, a P/E/G ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.52.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by ($0.26). The business had revenue of $1.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.38 billion. Ares Management had a return on equity of 19.26% and a net margin of 9.41%.During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.55 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Ares Management will post 5.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ares Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.1%. This is an increase from Ares Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. Ares Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 192.27%.

Ares Management Company Profile

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.