M&G PLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Ares Management Corporation $ARES

M&G PLC lowered its position in Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) by 12.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,072,413 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 150,739 shares during the quarter. M&G PLC owned approximately 0.33% of Ares Management worth $171,586,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ares Management by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,676,470 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $3,465,851,000 after purchasing an additional 740,103 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Ares Management by 2.8% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,534,773 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $565,180,000 after buying an additional 94,825 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Ares Management by 7.6% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,454,083 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $596,280,000 after buying an additional 244,286 shares in the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Ares Management by 10.2% during the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 2,586,253 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $413,516,000 after buying an additional 238,531 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in Ares Management during the 2nd quarter valued at $328,910,000. Institutional investors own 50.03% of the company’s stock.

Ares Management Trading Up 0.0%

NYSE:ARES opened at $133.98 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $160.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $163.34. Ares Management Corporation has a 12 month low of $110.63 and a 12 month high of $195.26. The company has a market capitalization of $43.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 79.28, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.52.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by ($0.26). The firm had revenue of $1.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.38 billion. Ares Management had a return on equity of 19.26% and a net margin of 9.41%.During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.55 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Ares Management Corporation will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Ares Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This is an increase from Ares Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.0%. Ares Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 265.09%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ares Management

In related news, Director Ashish Bhutani purchased 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $126.61 per share, with a total value of $1,266,100.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 34,071 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,313,729.31. This trade represents a 41.54% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael J. Arougheti sold 186,197 shares of Ares Management stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.75, for a total value of $28,441,591.75. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 290,997 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,449,791.75. The trade was a 39.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 590,000 shares of company stock valued at $90,653,808. 0.52% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on ARES. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ares Management in a research note on Monday, December 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of Ares Management from $189.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Ares Management from $200.00 to $180.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 9th. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Ares Management in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of Ares Management from $224.00 to $215.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $185.13.

Ares Management 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.