Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) Insider Ryan Berry Sells 14,357 Shares of Stock

Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) insider Ryan Berry sold 14,357 shares of Ares Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.16, for a total transaction of $2,586,557.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 233,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,015,834.24. This trade represents a 5.80 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Ryan Berry also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, December 9th, Ryan Berry sold 5,443 shares of Ares Management stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.14, for a total transaction of $980,502.02.
• On Monday, November 11th, Ryan Berry sold 1,671 shares of Ares Management stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total value of $292,425.00.
• On Wednesday, November 6th, Ryan Berry sold 18,329 shares of Ares Management stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.18, for a total value of $3,210,874.22.
• On Thursday, October 17th, Ryan Berry sold 40,000 shares of Ares Management stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.99, for a total value of $6,719,600.00.
• On Friday, October 4th, Ryan Berry sold 20,000 shares of Ares Management stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.07, for a total value of $3,201,400.00.
• On Wednesday, September 18th, Ryan Berry sold 12,500 shares of Ares Management stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.40, for a total transaction of $1,930,000.00.
• On Monday, September 16th, Ryan Berry sold 12,500 shares of Ares Management stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.42, for a total transaction of $1,855,250.00.

Ares Management Stock Performance

Shares of ARES opened at $182.39 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $170.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $152.63. The firm has a market cap of $57.10 billion, a PE ratio of 84.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.19. Ares Management Co. has a 12-month low of $112.83 and a 12-month high of $185.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 1st. The asset manager reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.01. Ares Management had a net margin of 12.51% and a return on equity of 19.89%. The company had revenue of $1.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $833.58 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.83 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ares Management Co. will post 4.06 EPS for the current year.

Ares Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.93 per share. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 17th. Ares Management’s dividend payout ratio is presently 171.43%.

Institutional Trading of Ares Management

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Point72 DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Ares Management during the third quarter worth $36,000. Eastern Bank acquired a new position in Ares Management in the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. West Oak Capital LLC raised its position in Ares Management by 40.0% during the 2nd quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 350 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Key Financial Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Ares Management in the 2nd quarter worth $53,000. Finally, Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ares Management by 80.4% in the second quarter. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. now owns 451 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. 50.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ARES shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Ares Management from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Ares Management from $146.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Ares Management from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Ares Management from $176.00 to $174.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Ares Management from $158.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $169.64.

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.