MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH Increases Stock Position in Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES)

MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH lifted its holdings in Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) by 0.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 357,588 shares of the asset manager’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,582 shares during the period. Ares Management comprises 1.6% of MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH’s holdings in Ares Management were worth $42,524,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Artemis Investment Management LLP lifted its position in Ares Management by 24.5% during the fourth quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 149,920 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $17,829,000 after acquiring an additional 29,457 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in Ares Management by 2.0% during the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 10,512 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,109,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP increased its stake in Ares Management by 11.1% during the 3rd quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP now owns 125,000 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $12,859,000 after purchasing an additional 12,500 shares in the last quarter. Handelsinvest Investeringsforvaltning acquired a new position in Ares Management during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $623,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Ares Management by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 925,113 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $95,166,000 after purchasing an additional 38,174 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.03% of the company’s stock.

Ares Management Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ARES traded down $0.30 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $132.98. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 784,603 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,045,015. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $130.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $116.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. The company has a market cap of $41.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.18. Ares Management Co. has a 12-month low of $77.97 and a 12-month high of $139.48.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The asset manager reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $862.71 million. Ares Management had a net margin of 13.06% and a return on equity of 21.01%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.21 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Ares Management Co. will post 4.6 EPS for the current year.

Ares Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th will be given a dividend of $0.93 per share. This is a boost from Ares Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.80%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 14th. Ares Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 155.65%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Ares Management from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Ares Management from $119.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Ares Management from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $122.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, January 9th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Ares Management from $146.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Ares Management from $112.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ares Management has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $123.45.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider R. Kipp Deveer sold 82,796 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.47, for a total transaction of $11,299,170.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,245,729 shares in the company, valued at $170,004,636.63. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Michael J. Arougheti sold 74,585 shares of Ares Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.97, for a total value of $9,917,567.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,375,000 shares in the company, valued at $182,833,750. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider R. Kipp Deveer sold 82,796 shares of Ares Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.47, for a total transaction of $11,299,170.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,245,729 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $170,004,636.63. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 543,001 shares of company stock worth $72,551,374. Insiders own 47.34% of the company’s stock.

Ares Management Profile

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.