Financial Management Network Inc. Invests $251,000 in Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES)

Financial Management Network Inc. purchased a new position in Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 1,388 shares of the asset manager’s stock, valued at approximately $251,000.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Ares Management by 67.0% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 162 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Ares Management in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Eastern Bank bought a new stake in shares of Ares Management in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ares Management by 53.4% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 227 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CENTRAL TRUST Co raised its holdings in shares of Ares Management by 1,572.7% in the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 368 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 346 shares in the last quarter. 50.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ares Management Stock Up 0.6 %

Ares Management stock opened at $187.32 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $58.64 billion, a PE ratio of 92.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.18. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average price is $184.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $167.47. Ares Management Co. has a twelve month low of $125.23 and a twelve month high of $200.49.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $1.23 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.35 by ($0.12). Ares Management had a net margin of 11.35% and a return on equity of 16.64%. On average, research analysts predict that Ares Management Co. will post 5.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ares Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.39%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This is a positive change from Ares Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. Ares Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently 183.25%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on ARES shares. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Ares Management from $184.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Ares Management from $207.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Ares Management in a report on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Ares Management from $176.00 to $174.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on shares of Ares Management from $224.00 to $217.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ares Management presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $176.17.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ares Management

In other Ares Management news, CEO Michael J. Arougheti sold 18,232 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.54, for a total value of $3,200,445.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 116,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,397,923.54. The trade was a 13.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider David B. Kaplan sold 18,259 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.55, for a total transaction of $3,205,367.45. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 116,348 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,424,891.40. This represents a 13.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 447,080 shares of company stock worth $80,060,323. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.