Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Boosts Stock Holdings in Ares Management Corporation $ARES

Key Points

• Institutional buying: Pictet Asset Management increased its Ares stake 13.6% to 92,699 shares (~$15.0M) and other large investors like Vanguard and MFS materially boosted positions, leaving institutions with about 50.03% ownership.
• Insider purchases: Director Ashish Bhutani bought 10,000 shares at $126.61 (raising his stake 41.5% to 34,071 shares) and Director Judy Olian also bought shares, bringing insider ownership to about 36.86%.
• Mixed Q1 results and dividend: Ares reported Q1 EPS of $1.24 (missed consensus) but revenue and record ~ $30B fundraising beat expectations, and the firm declared a $1.35 quarterly dividend (annualized $5.40, ~4.5% yield) with a high payout ratio (~319.5%).

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its position in shares of Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES - Free Report) by 13.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 92,699 shares of the asset manager's stock after acquiring an additional 11,128 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA's holdings in Ares Management were worth $14,988,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ARES. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ares Management by 20.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,050,425 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $4,210,530,000 after acquiring an additional 4,373,955 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of 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 worth $922,196,000 after purchasing an additional 1,187,174 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in Ares Management by 487.4% in the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 912,656 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $145,925,000 after buying an additional 757,293 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its stake in Ares Management by 1,172.9% in the third quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 622,796 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $99,579,000 after acquiring an additional 573,870 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Ares Management during the 3rd quarter valued at about $41,665,000. 50.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Ares Management

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

Ares Management Price Performance

NYSE ARES opened at $119.26 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.22. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $110.17 and a 200 day moving average of $139.58. Ares Management Corporation has a one year low of $95.80 and a one year high of $195.26. The company has a market capitalization of $39.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 70.57, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.52.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The asset manager reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.34 by ($0.10). The company had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.28 billion. Ares Management had a net margin of 9.41% and a return on equity of 19.04%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.09 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Ares Management Corporation will post 6.09 EPS for the current year.

Ares Management Dividend Announcement

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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.5%. Ares Management's dividend payout ratio is presently 319.53%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group set a $148.00 target price on shares of Ares Management in a report on Friday, February 20th. Zacks Research lowered Ares Management from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Ares Management from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Ares Management in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Citizens Jmp decreased their target price on shares of Ares Management from $205.00 to $190.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Ares Management has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $165.31.

Key Headlines Impacting Ares Management

Here are the key news stories impacting Ares Management this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Record fundraising and revenue boost confidence: Ares raised a first‑quarter record ~$30 billion and reported higher revenue and GAAP net income ($142.6M), signaling strong investor demand and driving upward sentiment. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Assets under management and flows beat expectations: AUM and fundraising topped consensus, underpinning fee growth and recurring revenue potential for the firm. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Strong lending and deal activity: Ares closed ~$9.5B of U.S. direct lending in Q1 (≈$53B TTM) and participated in large private‑credit deals (e.g., $800M GoodLife financing with JPMorgan), supporting future fee and interest income. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Firm says balance sheet and investor demand are resilient: Management downplayed redemption fears and AI‑related disruption, which helped calm market concerns around private credit. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate moves and strategy: Ares announced leadership/strategy changes (COO appointment, platform reshaping including BlueCove) that could affect execution but are longer‑term in impact. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly EPS miss and rising expenses: Reported EPS ($1.24) missed consensus (~$1.34) and realized income metrics were pressured by higher expenses — a near‑term profitability concern that analysts flagged. Article Title

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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