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

Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) insider Ryan Berry sold 14,357 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider now owns 233,214 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 available at the SEC website.

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

• On Monday, December 9th, Ryan Berry sold 5,443 shares of Ares Management stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.14, for a total value 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 shares were sold at an average price of $167.99, for a total transaction of $6,719,600.00.
• On Friday, October 4th, Ryan Berry sold 20,000 shares of Ares Management stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.07, for a total transaction of $3,201,400.00.
• On Wednesday, September 18th, Ryan Berry sold 12,500 shares of Ares Management stock. The shares were 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 shares were sold at an average price of $148.42, for a total value of $1,855,250.00.

Ares Management Price Performance

Shares of ARES stock traded down $0.35 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $182.39. 990,651 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,159,253. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $169.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $152.38. 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 company has a market cap of $57.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 85.04, a PEG 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.

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

Ares Management Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on ARES. StockNews.com cut Ares Management from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Ares Management from $146.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Ares Management from $136.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Ares Management from $155.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Ares Management from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $169.64.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

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.