CW Advisors LLC Invests $411,000 in Ares Management Corporation $ARES

Key Points

• CW Advisors LLC invested $411,000 in Ares Management Corporation by acquiring 2,801 shares as reported in their recent SEC filing.
• Several analysts have increased their target prices for Ares Management, with estimates now ranging from $182.73 to $205.00, reflecting a favorable outlook for the stock.
• Ares Management will pay a quarterly dividend of $1.12 per share on September 30, representing an annualized yield of 2.5% despite a high dividend payout ratio of 258.96%.

CW Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 2,801 shares of the asset manager's stock, valued at approximately $411,000.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Johnson Financial Group Inc. grew its position 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 worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Elequin Capital LP acquired a new position in Ares Management during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Ares Management in the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ares Management in the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Global Financial Private Client LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ares Management by 125.6% during the first quarter. Global Financial Private Client LLC now owns 264 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. 50.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on ARES shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Ares Management from $193.00 to $203.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on Ares Management in a report on Monday, July 28th. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Ares Management from $189.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, July 11th. Oppenheimer lowered shares of Ares Management from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, JMP Securities boosted their price target 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. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $182.73.

Ares Management Price Performance

NYSE:ARES opened at $179.81 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The business's 50-day moving average price is $180.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $165.86. Ares Management Corporation has a 52-week low of $110.63 and a 52-week high of $200.49. The firm has a market cap of $58.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 103.93, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.40.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The asset manager reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.15 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. Ares Management had a net margin of 9.47% and a return on equity of 15.81%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.99 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Ares Management Corporation will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ares Management Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be given a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 16th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Ares Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 258.96%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ares Management

In related news, Chairman Antony P. Ressler sold 196,197 shares of Ares Management stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.79, for a total transaction of $35,078,061.63. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman owned 1,424,538 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $254,693,149.02. This trade represents a 12.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael J. Arougheti sold 136,516 shares of Ares Management stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.74, for a total value of $24,946,933.84. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 311,728 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $56,965,174.72. This represents a 30.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 1,316,752 shares of company stock valued at $235,983,344 in the last 90 days. 36.86% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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