David B. Kaplan Sells 18,259 Shares of Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) Stock

Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) insider David B. Kaplan sold 18,259 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.55, for a total transaction of $3,205,367.45. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 116,348 shares in the company, valued at $20,424,891.40. This trade represents a 13.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Ares Management Price Performance

Shares of Ares Management stock opened at $175.52 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $54.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 80.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.20. 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 stock’s fifty day moving average is $163.69 and its 200 day moving average is $149.21. Ares Management Co. has a one year low of $107.69 and a one year high of $176.83.

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

Ares Management Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 17th will be paid a $0.93 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 17th. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.12%. Ares Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 171.43%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ares Management by 0.7% in the third quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 11,538 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $1,798,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC lifted its holdings in Ares Management by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 6,392 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $1,070,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Ares Management by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,560 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $399,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. Morse Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in Ares Management by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc now owns 14,035 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $2,187,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its position in shares of Ares Management by 21.0% during the third quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 559 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $87,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.03% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on ARES. 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 report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on Ares Management in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Ares Management from $136.00 to $162.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Ares Management from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Ares Management from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $166.36.

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.