Weekly Research Analysts’ Ratings Changes for Ares Management (ARES)

Several brokerages have updated their recommendations and price targets on shares of Ares Management (NYSE: ARES) in the last few weeks:

• 4/22/2026 – Ares Management had its price target lowered by Citizens Jmp from $205.00 to $190.00. They now have a “market outperform” rating on the stock.
• 4/21/2026 – Ares Management had its price target lowered by Morgan Stanley from $178.00 to $163.00. They now have an “equal weight” rating on the stock.
• 4/13/2026 – Ares Management had its price target lowered by Oppenheimer Holdings, Inc. from $215.00 to $147.00. They now have an “outperform” rating on the stock.
• 4/8/2026 – Ares Management had its price target lowered by Barclays PLC from $138.00 to $127.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 4/7/2026 – Ares Management had its price target lowered by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. from $165.00 to $131.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 4/6/2026 – Ares Management was downgraded by Zacks Research from “hold” to “strong sell”.
• 3/24/2026 – Ares Management had its price target lowered by BMO Capital Markets from $140.00 to $112.00. They now have a “market perform” rating on the stock.
• 2/28/2026 – Ares Management was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from “hold” to “sell”.
• 2/24/2026 – Ares Management had its price target lowered by Royal Bank Of Canada from $180.00 to $173.00. They now have an “outperform” rating on the stock.

Ares Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This is a boost from Ares Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.7%. Ares Management’s payout ratio is presently 319.53%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ares Management news, Director Ashish Bhutani purchased 10,000 shares of Ares Management stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was bought at an average price of $126.61 per share, for a total transaction of $1,266,100.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 34,071 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,313,729.31. The trade was a 41.54% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Judy D. Olian purchased 480 shares of Ares Management stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $124.43 per share, with a total value of $59,726.40. Following 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 position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 36.86% of the company’s stock.

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.