Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by 18 analysts, with an average 12-month price target of $178.19.
• Insider transactions included notable sales by executives, with David B. Kaplan and Chairman Bennett Rosenthal selling a combined total of over 118,000 shares, valued at approximately $19.82 million.
• Ares Management recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1.12 per share, representing a 2.3% dividend yield and a high payout ratio of 258.96%.

Shares of Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the eighteen analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $178.1875.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on ARES shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Ares Management from $189.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Cfra Research upgraded shares of Ares Management to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Citigroup reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Ares Management in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Raymond James Financial began coverage on shares of Ares Management in a research report on Monday, July 28th. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. Finally, JMP Securities upped their target price on shares of Ares Management from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ares Management

In other Ares Management news, insider David B. Kaplan sold 33,145 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.12, for a total value of $5,472,902.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Chairman Bennett Rosenthal sold 85,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.79, for a total transaction of $14,347,150.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 713,437 shares of company stock valued at $119,144,937 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 36.86% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ares Management

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ARES. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ares Management during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ares Management during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $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. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ares Management during the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Elequin Capital LP acquired a new position in Ares Management during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.03% of the company's stock.

Ares Management Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of Ares Management stock opened at $190.99 on Thursday. Ares Management has a 52-week low of $110.63 and a 52-week high of $200.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $177.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $166.64. The firm has a market cap of $62.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 110.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.40.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The asset manager reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.15 by ($0.12). Ares Management had a return on equity of 15.81% and a net margin of 9.47%. The firm had revenue of $1.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.99 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Ares Management will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Ares Management Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be issued a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 16th. Ares Management's dividend payout ratio is 258.96%.

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.

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