Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) Sets New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Shares of Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) reached a new 52-week high on Friday . The stock traded as high as $160.04 and last traded at $160.04, with a volume of 634922 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $157.05.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on ARES shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on Ares Management from $134.00 to $133.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Ares Management from $141.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Ares Management from $160.00 to $158.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Ares Management from $151.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic began coverage on Ares Management in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $143.67.

Ares Management Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $49.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 71.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $147.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $140.96.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 2nd. The asset manager reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $788.68 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $860.09 million. Ares Management had a return on equity of 20.46% and a net margin of 12.53%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.90 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Ares Management Co. will post 4.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Ares Management Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 16th were paid a $0.93 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 16th. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.32%. Ares Management’s payout ratio is presently 166.82%.

Insider Transactions at Ares Management

In other news, insider Ryan Berry sold 57,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.74, for a total value of $8,092,550.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 456,702 shares in the company, valued at $64,276,239.48. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, insider Ryan Berry sold 57,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.74, for a total value of $8,092,550.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 456,702 shares in the company, valued at $64,276,239.48. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Bennett Rosenthal sold 75,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.05, for a total value of $10,728,750.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 604,316 shares of company stock worth $87,718,000 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ares Management

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ARES. Compass Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Ares Management in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in Ares Management in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. West Oak Capital LLC lifted its stake in Ares Management by 66.7% in the first quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 250 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp lifted its stake in Ares Management by 717.6% in the first quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 278 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Key Financial Inc purchased a new position in Ares Management in the second quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.03% of the company’s stock.

Ares Management Company Profile

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.