Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) Receives $179.73 Average Price Target from Analysts

Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $179.7333.

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on Ares Management from $224.00 to $215.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered Ares Management from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Ares Management from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $182.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on shares of Ares Management from $180.00 to $173.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised shares of Ares Management from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $157.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, February 9th.

Ares Management Stock Performance

Shares of ARES stock opened at $106.43 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $125.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $148.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.06 billion, a PE ratio of 62.97, a P/E/G ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.56. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. Ares Management has a 52 week low of $95.80 and a 52 week high of $195.26.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by ($0.26). The company had revenue of $1.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.38 billion. Ares Management had a return on equity of 19.04% and a net margin of 9.41%.During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.55 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Ares Management will post 5.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ares Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.1%. This is a boost from Ares Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. Ares Management’s payout ratio is currently 319.53%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Judy D. Olian acquired 480 shares of Ares Management stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $124.43 per share, for a total transaction of $59,726.40. Following the acquisition, the director owned 29,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,699,801.62. This trade represents a 1.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Ashish Bhutani acquired 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $126.61 per share, with a total value of $1,266,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 34,071 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,313,729.31. The trade was a 41.54% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.52% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its position in shares of Ares Management by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 190 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Osbon Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Ares Management in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Ares Management in the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Ares Management in the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Ares Management in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 50.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Ares Management

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.