Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) Short Interest Update

Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,490,000 shares, an increase of 35.2% from the March 15th total of 4,060,000 shares. Approximately 3.0% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,800,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.1 days.

Ares Management Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ARES opened at $141.35 on Monday. Ares Management has a fifty-two week low of $110.63 and a fifty-two week high of $200.49. The company’s 50-day moving average is $152.94 and its 200 day moving average is $168.49. 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 capitalization of $44.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 69.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.32.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.35 by ($0.12). Ares Management had a return on equity of 16.64% and a net margin of 11.35%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Ares Management will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Ares Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were given a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. This is a boost from Ares Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. Ares Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently 183.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on ARES shares. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Ares Management from $216.00 to $161.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Ares Management from $217.00 to $142.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 7th. JMP Securities raised shares of Ares Management from a “market perform” rating to a “market outperform” rating and set a $165.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Ares Management from $197.00 to $152.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of Ares Management from $188.00 to $166.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $165.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ares Management news, insider R. Kipp Deveer sold 78,933 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.02, for a total transaction of $14,998,848.66. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,150,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $218,523,000. This represents a 6.42 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Ashish Bhutani acquired 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $141.33 per share, with a total value of $1,413,300.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 22,905 shares in the company, valued at $3,237,163.65. This represents a 77.49 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 329,113 shares of company stock worth $54,409,915. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ares Management

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ARES. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Ares Management by 67.0% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 162 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in Ares Management in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Ares Management by 104.8% during the 4th quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 170 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Elequin Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Ares Management during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in shares of Ares Management in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.03% of the company’s stock.

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.