Judy Olian Purchases 480 Shares of Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) Stock

Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) Director Judy Olian acquired 480 shares of Ares Management stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were bought at an average price of $124.43 per share, with a total value of $59,726.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 29,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,699,801.62. This trade represents a 1.64% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Ares Management Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of ARES opened at $119.25 on Thursday. Ares Management Corporation has a one year low of $110.63 and a one year high of $195.26. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $38.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 70.56, a PEG ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.52. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $152.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $160.04.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last released 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 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 research analysts forecast that Ares Management Corporation will post 5.28 earnings per share 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.5%. This is a positive change from Ares Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. Ares Management’s payout ratio is currently 265.09%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Ares Management by 116.7% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 10,360 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,519,000 after purchasing an additional 5,579 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Ares Management by 5.5% in 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 acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Ares Management by 42.7% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,197 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $909,000 after acquiring an additional 1,853 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its stake in Ares Management by 15.3% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 1,902 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $279,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.03% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ARES has been the subject of several analyst reports. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Ares Management in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Ares Management from $222.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ares Management in a report on Monday, December 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Ares Management from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $182.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer decreased their target price on shares of Ares Management from $224.00 to $215.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $182.67.

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.