Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) Holdings Decreased by Bfsg LLC

Bfsg LLC cut its position in shares of Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) by 16.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,724 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 1,344 shares during the quarter. Bfsg LLC’s holdings in Ares Management were worth $1,048,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ARES. Inscription Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Ares Management in the 1st quarter worth about $341,000. Capital CS Group LLC acquired a new position in Ares Management in the first quarter valued at approximately $621,000. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd boosted its stake in Ares Management by 0.7% in the first quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd now owns 13,420 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,784,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. Southland Equity Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ares Management during the 1st quarter worth approximately $334,000. Finally, Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Ares Management during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.03% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Ares Management news, insider Ryan Berry sold 57,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were 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 approximately $64,276,239.48. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, insider Ryan Berry sold 57,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.74, for a total transaction of $8,092,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 456,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $64,276,239.48. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Bennett Rosenthal sold 75,000 shares of Ares Management stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The shares were 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 624,316 shares of company stock worth $90,919,400 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on ARES shares. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Ares Management from $162.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Ares Management from $156.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on shares of Ares Management in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Ares Management from $160.00 to $158.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Ares Management from $136.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ares Management has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.82.

Ares Management Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ARES opened at $168.73 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $150.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $142.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The stock has a market cap of $52.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 75.66, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.22. Ares Management Co. has a 12 month low of $96.00 and a 12 month high of $171.14.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 2nd. The asset manager reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $788.68 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $860.09 million. Ares Management had a net margin of 12.53% and a return on equity of 20.46%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.90 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ares Management Co. will post 4.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ares Management Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 16th were given a dividend of $0.93 per share. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 16th. Ares Management’s payout ratio is 166.82%.

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.