Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV Takes $2.20 Million Position in Ares Management Corporation $ARES

Key Points

• Nations Financial Group purchased 13,595 shares of Ares Management in Q4 — a new position valued at about $2.20 million, contributing to institutional ownership of roughly 50.03%.
• Insider buying: directors Judy D. Olian bought 480 shares and Ashish Bhutani bought 10,000 shares, increasing their stakes and leaving corporate insiders with about 36.86% ownership.
• Ares raised its quarterly dividend to $1.35 (from $0.84), an annualized $5.40 representing a ~4.7% yield, though the dividend payout ratio is a high 319.53%.

Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV bought a new position in shares of Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 13,595 shares of the asset manager's stock, valued at approximately $2,197,000.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CWM LLC boosted its position in Ares Management by 13.1% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 5,630 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $910,000 after buying an additional 654 shares during the period. KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of Ares Management by 8.4% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 16,849 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $2,723,000 after acquiring an additional 1,302 shares during the period. PFG Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Ares Management by 8.4% in the fourth quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 1,440 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $233,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Ares Management by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 6,306 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $1,019,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cura Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Ares Management in the fourth quarter valued at $321,000. 50.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Judy D. Olian purchased 480 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $124.43 per share, for a total transaction of $59,726.40. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 29,734 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,699,801.62. This trade represents a 1.64% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Ashish Bhutani acquired 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $126.61 per share, for a total transaction of $1,266,100.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 34,071 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,313,729.31. This represents a 41.54% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 36.86% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on ARES shares. Morgan Stanley set a $178.00 target price on Ares Management in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on Ares Management from $215.00 to $147.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Ares Management from $140.00 to $112.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Ares Management in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed 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 given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $168.73.

Ares Management Stock Performance

NYSE:ARES opened at $115.92 on Friday. 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. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.19 billion, a PE ratio of 68.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.52. The business's fifty day moving average price is $113.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $142.05.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.71 by ($0.26). Ares Management had a return on equity of 19.04% and a net margin of 9.41%.The business had revenue of $1.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.38 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.55 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ares Management Corporation will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ares Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 17th. This is a positive change from Ares Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.7%. Ares Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 319.53%.

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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