Gulf International Bank UK Ltd Has $2.54 Million Holdings in Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES)

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd cut its position in Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,364 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 130 shares during the quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd’s holdings in Ares Management were worth $2,542,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ARES. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its stake in Ares Management by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 4,279 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $667,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. abrdn plc grew its stake in Ares Management by 1,085.0% in the 3rd quarter. abrdn plc now owns 46,892 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $7,308,000 after buying an additional 42,935 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. grew its stake in Ares Management by 62.0% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 2,683 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $418,000 after buying an additional 1,027 shares during the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. grew its stake in Ares Management by 117.3% in the 3rd quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 1,304 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $203,000 after buying an additional 704 shares during the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE grew its stake in Ares Management by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 16,727 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $2,607,000 after buying an additional 712 shares during the last quarter. 50.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ares Management Price Performance

NYSE:ARES opened at $170.93 on Friday. Ares Management Co. has a 52 week low of $125.23 and a 52 week high of $200.49. The company has a market capitalization of $53.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 84.20, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a 50-day moving average of $184.25 and a 200-day moving average of $169.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Ares Management Co. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ares Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. This is an increase from Ares Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. Ares Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 183.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Ares Management from $224.00 to $217.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Ares Management from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Ares Management from $207.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Ares Management from $146.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Ares Management from $176.00 to $174.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. One research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ares Management currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $176.17.

Insider Activity at Ares Management

In related news, insider Ryan Berry sold 5,443 shares of Ares Management stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.14, for a total transaction of $980,502.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 247,771 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,633,467.94. This trade represents a 2.15 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider R. Kipp Deveer sold 115,838 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.83, for a total transaction of $20,599,471.54. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,259,162 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $223,916,778.46. The trade was a 8.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 214,571 shares of company stock valued at $39,165,379 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Ares Management 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.