Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Acquires 15,804 Shares of Ares Management Corporation $ARES

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) by 86.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 34,182 shares of the asset manager’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,804 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Ares Management were worth $5,525,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ARES. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Ares Management by 20.2% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,050,425 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $4,210,530,000 after acquiring an additional 4,373,955 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Ares Management in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $396,165,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Ares Management by 55.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,489,004 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $883,716,000 after acquiring an additional 1,963,460 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in Ares Management by 26.3% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,705,599 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $922,196,000 after acquiring an additional 1,187,174 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in Ares Management by 487.4% in the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 912,656 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $145,925,000 after acquiring an additional 757,293 shares in the last quarter. 50.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ares Management Price Performance

Shares of ARES opened at $125.92 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $41.53 billion, a PE ratio of 58.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $117.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $135.34. Ares Management Corporation has a 1-year low of $95.80 and a 1-year high of $195.26.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last announced its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The asset manager reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $1.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.28 billion. Ares Management had a net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 22.14%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.09 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ares Management Corporation will post 6.06 EPS for the current year.

Ares Management Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. Ares Management’s dividend payout ratio is 251.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on ARES. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Ares Management from $127.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Ares Management from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $157.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Ares Management from $178.00 to $163.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Ares Management from $140.00 to $112.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Ares Management in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ares Management currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $162.56.

About Ares Management

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.