Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) Stock Holdings Lowered by Squarepoint Ops LLC

Squarepoint Ops LLC cut its stake in shares of Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES - Free Report) by 73.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,142 shares of the asset manager's stock after selling 11,741 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC's holdings in Ares Management were worth $733,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Toronto Dominion Bank grew its position in shares of Ares Management by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 25,175 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $4,456,000 after buying an additional 2,425 shares in the last quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH grew its stake in Ares Management by 1,693.9% in the fourth quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 36,076 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $6,387,000 after purchasing an additional 34,065 shares in the last quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. increased its holdings in Ares Management by 84.7% in the fourth quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. now owns 6,491 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $1,149,000 after buying an additional 2,977 shares during the last quarter. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Ares Management during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $207,000. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in Ares Management by 11.5% during the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 554,086 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $98,089,000 after buying an additional 57,113 shares during the last quarter. 50.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ares Management Stock Performance

Shares of ARES traded up $0.85 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $169.86. 543,590 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,421,247. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05. The business's 50-day moving average price is $152.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $167.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 83.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.40. Ares Management Co. has a 12 month low of $110.63 and a 12 month high of $200.49.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The asset manager reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.15. Ares Management had a return on equity of 16.64% and a net margin of 11.35%. The firm had revenue of $951.96 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $914.00 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.80 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Ares Management Co. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Ares Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. Ares Management's dividend payout ratio is currently 263.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Chairman Bennett Rosenthal sold 40,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.37, for a total value of $6,774,800.00. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 85,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,396,450. The trade was a 32.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Michael J. Arougheti sold 182,108 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.07, for a total value of $30,971,107.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 350,684 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $59,640,827.88. This trade represents a 34.18% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 898,990 shares of company stock valued at $148,835,332 over the last 90 days. 36.86% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ARES shares. Wolfe Research set a $193.00 price target on Ares Management and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Ares Management from $182.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Ares Management from $197.00 to $152.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Ares Management from $216.00 to $161.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Ares Management from $221.00 to $201.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $174.94.

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.