Cox Capital Mgt LLC Takes Position in Ares Management Corporation $ARES

Cox Capital Mgt LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 7,887 shares of the asset manager’s stock, valued at approximately $1,335,000.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ARES. Vulcan Value Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Ares Management by 10.6% in the 3rd quarter. Vulcan Value Partners LLC now owns 1,350,249 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $215,785,000 after acquiring an additional 129,368 shares in the last quarter. CI Investments Inc. grew its position in Ares Management by 35,425.5% in the 3rd quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 221,679 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $35,444,000 after purchasing an additional 221,055 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in Ares Management in the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,971,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Ares Management by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,534,773 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $565,180,000 after buying an additional 94,825 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hudson Bay Capital Management LP lifted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 57,687 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 50.03% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Raymond James Financial raised Ares Management from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $157.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, February 9th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Ares Management from $140.00 to $112.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on Ares Management from $189.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered Ares Management from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Ares Management from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $182.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Friday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ares Management presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $179.73.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ares Management

In other Ares Management news, Director Ashish Bhutani acquired 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $126.61 per share, with a total value of $1,266,100.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 34,071 shares in the company, valued at $4,313,729.31. This trade represents a 41.54% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Judy D. Olian bought 480 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $124.43 per share, with a total value of $59,726.40. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 29,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,699,801.62. This trade represents a 1.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 36.86% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Ares Management Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of ARES stock opened at $106.43 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The firm has a market cap of $35.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 62.97, a PEG ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a 50 day moving average of $125.81 and a 200-day moving average of $148.71. Ares Management Corporation has a 12-month low of $95.80 and a 12-month high of $195.26.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $1.45 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 firm had revenue of $1.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.55 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Ares Management Corporation will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Ares Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This is a positive change from Ares Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. Ares Management’s dividend payout ratio 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.