Hamlin Capital Management LLC Cuts Position in Ares Management Corporation $ARES

Hamlin Capital Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) by 6.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,005,430 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 63,649 shares during the quarter. Ares Management accounts for about 3.9% of Hamlin Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Hamlin Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Ares Management were worth $162,508,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Ares Management by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 5,148 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $832,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ares Management by 8.5% during the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 2,769 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $448,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ares Management during the 4th quarter valued at $216,000. Everhart Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Ares Management by 12.4% during the 4th quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,961 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $1,125,000 after purchasing an additional 770 shares during the period. Finally, Hudson Bay Capital Management LP boosted its position in Ares Management by 1,903.9% during the 3rd quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP now owns 60,717 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $9,708,000 after purchasing an additional 57,687 shares during the period. 50.03% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Ashish Bhutani acquired 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $126.61 per share, for a total transaction of $1,266,100.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 34,071 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,313,729.31. This represents a 41.54% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Judy D. Olian bought 480 shares of Ares Management stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $124.43 per share, for a total transaction of $59,726.40. Following the acquisition, the director owned 29,734 shares in the company, valued at $3,699,801.62. The trade was a 1.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 36.86% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on ARES shares. Wall Street Zen cut Ares Management from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Ares Management from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $182.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Friday, February 6th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Ares Management in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Barclays decreased their price target on Ares Management from $222.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ares Management in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ares Management currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $182.67.

Ares Management Stock Down 1.8%

ARES stock opened at $106.02 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $132.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $151.17. The company has a market capitalization of $34.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 62.73, a PEG ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.55. Ares Management Corporation has a twelve month low of $95.80 and a twelve month high of $195.26.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.71 by ($0.26). Ares Management had a net margin of 9.41% and a return on equity of 19.04%. The company had revenue of $1.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.55 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Ares Management Corporation will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ares Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a $1.35 dividend. This is a boost from Ares Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.1%. Ares Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 319.53%.

Ares Management Profile

Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) is a global alternative asset manager that provides investment solutions across credit, private equity and real estate. The firm originates and manages capital across a range of strategies including direct lending, syndicated and special situations credit, private equity buyouts and growth investments, and real estate equity and debt. Ares serves institutional investors, insurance companies, pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and high‑net‑worth clients through both commingled funds and bespoke managed account structures.

Within credit, Ares offers strategies spanning leveraged loans, structured credit, opportunistic and distressed debt, and specialty finance, with an emphasis on underwriting, portfolio construction and active asset management.