Ares Management Corporation $ARES Shares Purchased by Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund

Key Points

• Institutional buying picked up in Ares Management, led by Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund, which increased its stake by 44.5% in the first quarter to 51,600 shares worth about $5.63 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains mostly positive, with the stock carrying a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $163.12, though some firms lowered targets while others maintained buy/overweight views.
• Ares Management reported mixed quarterly results: revenue topped estimates at $1.40 billion, but EPS of $1.24 missed expectations. The company also paid a quarterly dividend of $1.35 per share, equivalent to a 4.6% annualized yield.

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund boosted its position in shares of Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES - Free Report) by 44.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 51,600 shares of the asset manager's stock after acquiring an additional 15,900 shares during the quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund's holdings in Ares Management were worth $5,630,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ARES. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ares Management by 116.7% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 10,360 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $1,519,000 after purchasing an additional 5,579 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Ares Management by 5.5% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,344 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $197,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ares Management by 42.7% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,197 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $909,000 after purchasing an additional 1,853 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in Ares Management by 15.3% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 1,902 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $279,000 after buying an additional 252 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in Ares Management by 708.2% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 493 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 432 shares during the period. 50.03% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Ares Management from $178.00 to $163.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Barclays upped their price objective on Ares Management from $127.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Ares Management in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Zacks Research upgraded Ares Management from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Ares Management from $165.00 to $131.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $163.12.

Ares Management Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE ARES opened at $116.72 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. Ares Management Corporation has a 52 week low of $95.80 and a 52 week high of $195.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.50 billion, a PE ratio of 54.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.51. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $122.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $130.11.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The asset manager reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.32 by ($0.08). Ares Management had a net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 22.14%. The firm had revenue of $1.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.28 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.09 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Ares Management Corporation will post 6.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ares Management Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th were issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. Ares Management's dividend payout ratio is 251.16%.

About Ares Management

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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