Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) Shares Sold by Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC

Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC lowered its position in Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) by 25.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,939 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 6,926 shares during the quarter. Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC’s holdings in Ares Management were worth $3,530,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in Ares Management by 67.0% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 162 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in Ares Management during the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Ares Management by 53.4% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 227 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co increased its holdings in shares of Ares Management by 1,572.7% during the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 368 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 346 shares during the period. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Ares Management by 48.0% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 435 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $77,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 50.03% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider R. Kipp Deveer sold 115,838 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,259,162 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $223,916,778.46. This represents a 8.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Ryan Berry sold 14,357 shares of Ares Management stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.16, for a total value of $2,586,557.12. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 233,214 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,015,834.24. This trade represents a 5.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 214,571 shares of company stock valued at $39,165,379. Company insiders own 41.89% of the company’s stock.

Ares Management Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of Ares Management stock opened at $167.36 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. Ares Management Co. has a 12-month low of $125.23 and a 12-month high of $200.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.39 billion, a PE ratio of 82.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.18. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $184.43 and its 200-day moving average is $169.15.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.35 by ($0.12). Ares Management had a return on equity of 16.64% and a net margin of 11.35%. Equities analysts anticipate that Ares Management Co. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Ares Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This is an increase from Ares Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. Ares Management’s dividend payout ratio is 183.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ARES has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Ares Management in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Ares Management from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Barclays dropped their target price on Ares Management from $224.00 to $217.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 6th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Ares Management from $184.00 to $187.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Ares Management from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $166.00 to $202.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ares Management currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $176.17.

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.