Morgan Stanley Cuts Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) Price Target to $163.00

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) had its price objective decreased by Morgan Stanley from $178.00 to $163.00 in a research report released on Tuesday, MarketBeat.com reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an equal weight rating on the asset manager’s stock.

ARES has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on shares of Ares Management from $215.00 to $147.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 13th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Ares Management in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Ares Management from $140.00 to $112.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Wolfe Research set a $210.00 price objective on shares of Ares Management and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Ares Management from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $182.00 to $155.00 in a report on Friday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ares Management currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $166.73.

Ares Management Stock Performance

NYSE ARES opened at $114.78 on Tuesday. Ares Management has a 52-week low of $95.80 and a 52-week high of $195.26. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $112.05 and a 200 day simple moving average of $140.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.22. The company has a market capitalization of $37.82 billion, a PE ratio of 67.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.52.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by ($0.26). Ares Management had a return on equity of 19.04% and a net margin of 9.41%.The company had revenue of $1.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.55 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Ares Management will post 6.22 EPS for the current year.

Ares Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were given a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.7%. This is an increase from Ares Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 17th. Ares Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 319.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ares Management

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its stake in Ares Management by 100.0% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 190 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Osbon Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ares Management in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Ares Management in the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ares Management in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Ares Management in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 50.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ares Management Company 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.