Ares Management Corporation $ARES Shares Bought by M&T Bank Corp

Key Points

• M&T Bank Corp boosted its Ares stake by 169.3% in Q4, adding 16,677 shares to hold 26,526 shares valued at about $4.29 million, and institutional investors now own roughly 50.03% of ARES.
• Insiders increased exposure: director Ashish Bhutani bought 10,000 shares at $126.61 and director Judy D. Olian purchased 480 shares, signaling insider buying.
• Ares missed EPS ($1.24 vs. $1.32 est.) but beat revenue ($1.36B), announced a quarterly dividend of $1.35 (4.4% yield), and carries a consensus analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" with a $166.06 price target.

M&T Bank Corp grew its stake in shares of Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES - Free Report) by 169.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,526 shares of the asset manager's stock after acquiring an additional 16,677 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp's holdings in Ares Management were worth $4,287,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ARES. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ares Management by 20.2% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,050,425 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $4,210,530,000 after acquiring an additional 4,373,955 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of Ares Management by 26.3% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,705,599 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $922,196,000 after acquiring an additional 1,187,174 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in shares of Ares Management by 487.4% during the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 912,656 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $145,925,000 after acquiring an additional 757,293 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Ares Management by 1,172.9% during the 3rd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 622,796 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $99,579,000 after acquiring an additional 573,870 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Ares Management during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,665,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.03% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Ares Management

In other news, Director Ashish Bhutani bought 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $126.61 per share, for a total transaction of $1,266,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 34,071 shares in the company, valued at $4,313,729.31. The trade was a 41.54% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Judy D. Olian bought 480 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $124.43 per share, for a total transaction of $59,726.40. Following the transaction, the director owned 29,734 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,699,801.62. The trade was a 1.64% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 36.86% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ARES has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Ares Management in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Oppenheimer reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $146.00 price target (down from $147.00) on shares of Ares Management in a research note on Monday. Citizens Jmp decreased their price target on Ares Management from $205.00 to $190.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. UBS Group set a $148.00 price target on Ares Management in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Ares Management from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $157.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ares Management presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $166.06.

Ares Management Stock Up 0.8%

ARES stock opened at $123.98 on Thursday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $110.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $139.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.85 billion, a PE ratio of 57.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.50. Ares Management Corporation has a 12 month low of $95.80 and a 12 month high of $195.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.22.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The asset manager reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.32 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.28 billion. Ares Management had a net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 22.02%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.09 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Ares Management Corporation will post 6.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ares Management Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.4%. Ares Management's dividend payout ratio is currently 251.16%.

Ares Management Company Profile

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.

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