Analysts Set Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) PT at $165.00

Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the sixteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $174.50.

ARES has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Citizens Jmp upgraded Ares Management from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $165.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Ares Management from $156.00 to $182.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Ares Management from $197.00 to $152.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Barclays boosted their target price on Ares Management from $142.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their target price on Ares Management from $221.00 to $201.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 4th.

Ares Management Price Performance

Shares of ARES traded down $0.92 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $164.93. 1,659,104 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,409,920. The stock has a market cap of $52.02 billion, a PE ratio of 81.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $146.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $167.51. Ares Management has a 12 month low of $110.63 and a 12 month high of $200.49.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The asset manager reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $951.96 million during 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 quarter last year, the company posted $0.80 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Ares Management will post 5.28 EPS for the current year.

Ares Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be given a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.72%. Ares Management's payout ratio is currently 263.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ares Management

In other Ares Management news, Director Ashish Bhutani bought 10,000 shares of Ares Management stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $141.33 per share, with a total value of $1,413,300.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 22,905 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,237,163.65. This represents a 77.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael J. Arougheti sold 110,845 shares of the business'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 value of $16,978,128.65. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,400,000 shares in the company, valued at $214,438,000. This trade represents a 7.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 250,180 shares of company stock worth $39,411,066. 0.52% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ares Management

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Ares Management by 67.0% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 162 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ares Management during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. increased 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. Elequin Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of Ares Management during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Ares Management in the first quarter worth $28,000. 50.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Ares Management

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.