Brown Advisory Inc. Decreases Holdings in Ares Management Corporation $ARES

Key Points

• Brown Advisory Inc. reduced its Ares Management stake by 16.7% in the fourth quarter, selling 479,961 shares and ending with 2.39 million shares worth about $386.5 million.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on ARES, with the stock carrying a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $162.56, despite several firms trimming their targets.
• Ares reported mixed quarterly results and a new dividend: EPS of $1.24 missed estimates, while revenue of $1.40 billion beat expectations. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.35 per share, equal to a 4.0% annualized yield.

Brown Advisory Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES - Free Report) by 16.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,391,001 shares of the asset manager's stock after selling 479,961 shares during the quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. owned approximately 0.73% of Ares Management worth $386,461,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Ares Management by 116.7% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 10,360 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $1,519,000 after acquiring an additional 5,579 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in Ares Management by 5.5% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,344 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $197,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in Ares Management by 42.7% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,197 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $909,000 after acquiring an additional 1,853 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its holdings in Ares Management by 15.3% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 1,902 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $279,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Ares Management by 708.2% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 493 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 432 shares during the last quarter. 50.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ARES has been the subject of several recent research reports. Oppenheimer reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $146.00 price objective (down from $147.00) on shares of Ares Management in a report on Monday, May 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Ares Management in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Citizens Jmp decreased their price objective on Ares Management from $205.00 to $190.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Ares Management from $188.00 to $144.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Ares Management from $127.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $162.56.

Ares Management Stock Performance

Shares of ARES opened at $134.98 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $44.52 billion, a PE ratio of 62.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $119.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $134.91. Ares Management Corporation has a 12-month low of $95.80 and a 12-month high of $195.26.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The asset manager reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.32 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $1.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.28 billion. Ares Management had a net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 22.14%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.09 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast 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 dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. Ares Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 251.16%.

Ares Management 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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