Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Buys 24,187 Shares of Ares Management Corporation $ARES

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in shares of Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) by 35.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 91,686 shares of the asset manager’s stock after acquiring an additional 24,187 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Ares Management were worth $14,819,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ares Management by 100.0% during the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 190 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Ares Management during the third quarter valued at $40,000. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ares Management during the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ares Management during the third quarter valued at $50,000. Finally, First Horizon Corp bought a new position in shares of Ares Management during the third quarter valued at $51,000. 50.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ares Management Stock Performance

Ares Management stock opened at $120.97 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $112.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of $140.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 71.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.52. Ares Management Corporation has a 12-month low of $95.80 and a 12-month high of $195.26.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $1.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.38 billion. Ares Management had a return on equity of 19.04% and a net margin of 9.41%.During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.55 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ares Management Corporation will post 6.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ares Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th were given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 17th. This is a positive change from Ares Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.5%. Ares Management’s dividend payout ratio is 319.53%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on ARES shares. Wall Street Zen cut Ares Management from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ares Management in a report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group set a $148.00 price target on Ares Management in a report on Friday, February 20th. Wolfe Research set a $210.00 price target on Ares Management and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their price target on Ares Management from $215.00 to $147.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $166.73.

Insider Transactions at Ares Management

In other news, Director Judy D. Olian acquired 480 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $124.43 per share, for a total transaction of $59,726.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 29,734 shares in the company, valued at $3,699,801.62. This trade represents a 1.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Ashish Bhutani acquired 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was purchased at an average price 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 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 disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 36.86% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.