Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. Has $8.62 Million Stock Position in Ares Management Corporation $ARES

Key Points

• Mirae Asset Global Investments raised its stake in Ares by 113.9% in Q4 to 53,299 shares (about $8.62 million), as institutional investors now own roughly 50.03% of the company.
• Ares reported Q4 EPS of $1.45, missing estimates by $0.26 while revenue of $1.50 billion beat forecasts; analysts' average target is $168.73 with a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating.
• The firm raised its quarterly dividend to $1.35 (annualized $5.40), yielding about 4.6%, though the payout ratio is an elevated 319.53%.

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES - Free Report) by 113.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 53,299 shares of the asset manager's stock after purchasing an additional 28,377 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Ares Management were worth $8,615,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Ares Management by 3.5% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,676,470 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $3,465,851,000 after purchasing an additional 740,103 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Ares Management by 26.3% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,705,599 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $922,196,000 after purchasing an additional 1,187,174 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors raised its position in Ares Management by 0.4% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,243,194 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $678,448,000 after purchasing an additional 15,913 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Ares Management by 2.8% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,534,773 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $565,180,000 after purchasing an additional 94,825 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC raised its position in Ares Management by 10.2% during the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 2,586,253 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $413,516,000 after purchasing an additional 238,531 shares in the last quarter. 50.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ares Management Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:ARES opened at $117.64 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $113.46 and a 200-day moving average of $141.52. The company has a market capitalization of $38.76 billion, a PE ratio of 69.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.22. Ares Management Corporation has a 52-week low of $95.80 and a 52-week high of $195.26.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.71 by ($0.26). The company had revenue of $1.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.38 billion. Ares Management had a return on equity of 19.04% and a net margin of 9.41%.During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.55 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Ares Management Corporation will post 5.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ares Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th were paid a $1.35 dividend. This is a positive change from Ares Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 17th. Ares Management's payout ratio is presently 319.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ares Management

In other Ares Management news, Director Ashish Bhutani acquired 10,000 shares of Ares Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were bought at an average price of $126.61 per share, with a total value of $1,266,100.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 34,071 shares in the company, valued at $4,313,729.31. This trade represents a 41.54% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Judy D. Olian acquired 480 shares of Ares Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $124.43 per share, for a total transaction of $59,726.40. Following the purchase, 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 ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 36.86% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ARES has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wolfe Research set a $210.00 price objective on shares of Ares Management and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Ares Management from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $157.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Ares Management from $138.00 to $127.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Ares Management from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Ares Management in a report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ares Management currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $168.73.

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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