Brokerages Set Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) Price Target at $165.00

Shares of Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $174.50.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on ARES shares. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Ares Management from $216.00 to $161.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Oppenheimer upgraded Ares Management from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $159.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. JMP Securities lifted their target price on shares of Ares Management from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Barclays lifted their price target on Ares Management from $142.00 to $182.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Ares Management from $156.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th.

Insider Activity

In other Ares Management news, insider David B. Kaplan sold 69,526 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.99, for a total transaction of $11,192,990.74. Following the sale, the insider now owns 30,474 shares in the company, valued at $4,906,009.26. This represents a 69.53 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Michael J. Arougheti sold 110,845 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.17, for a total transaction of $16,978,128.65. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,400,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $214,438,000. This trade represents a 7.34 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 250,180 shares of company stock valued at $39,411,066. Company insiders own 0.52% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ares Management

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Ares Management during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Ares Management by 67.0% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 162 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ares Management during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ares Management by 104.8% during the fourth quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 170 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the period. Finally, Elequin Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Ares Management during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.03% of the company’s stock.

Ares Management Stock Performance

NYSE:ARES opened at $164.93 on Tuesday. Ares Management has a fifty-two week low of $110.63 and a fifty-two week high of $200.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.02 billion, a PE ratio of 81.25, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $146.41 and its 200 day moving average is $167.53.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The asset manager reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $951.96 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $914.00 million. Ares Management had a return on equity of 16.64% and a net margin of 11.35%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.80 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ares Management will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Ares Management Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.72%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. Ares Management’s dividend payout ratio is presently 263.53%.

Ares Management Company 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.