Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Decreases Stake in Ares Management Co.

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. has reduced its holdings in Ares Management Co. (NYSE: ARES) by 4.3% during the fourth quarter, as revealed in their latest filing with the SEC. Following this sale, the fund now owns a total of 183,983 shares after selling 8,320 shares during the period. The firm's holdings represent approximately 0.06% of Ares Management, which had an estimated value of $32,571,000 as reported in their most recent SEC filing.

In addition to Vaughan Nelson, various institutional investors have adjusted their investments in Ares Management. For instance, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake by 9.0% in the third quarter and currently holds 8,244,179 shares valued at $1,284,773,000 after acquiring an additional 679,462 shares during that timeframe. Similarly, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its shareholding in Ares Management by 31.3%, now totaling 2,849,737 shares worth $444,103,000 following the addition of 678,549 shares in the last quarter.

Other institutional players making moves include Eagle Asset Management Inc., which bolstered its position by 26.4%, ending with 1,344,383 shares valued at $229,056,000, and State Street Corp, which lifted its holdings by 5.1%, owning 3,826,479 shares now worth $596,318,000 after buying an additional 187,184 shares last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC also increased its investment by 6.3%, possessing 2,950,451 shares valued at approximately $459,580,000 after acquiring an extra 175,627 shares.

Collectively, institutional investors currently own 50.03% of Ares Management’s stock.

Recent Insider Transactions at Ares Management

In other developments, Ares Management's CEO, Michael J. Arougheti, sold 20,096 shares of the company's stock on November 15th, obtaining an average price of $167.44, resulting in a total sale value of $3,364,874.24. Post-transaction, the CEO now directly holds 229,904 shares valued at $38,495,125.76, reflecting an 8.04% reduction in his ownership.

Additionally, insider Ryan Berry sold 14,357 shares on December 11th at an average price of $180.16, leading to proceeds of $2,586,557.12. Berry now retains 233,214 shares valued at $42,015,834.24, marking a 5.80% decrease in his holdings. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold a total of 555,838 shares of the company worth $96,785,773. Currently, insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Ares Management Stock Overview

As of Friday, Ares Management shares opened at $190.36. The company's financial health indicators include a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53 and both a current ratio and quick ratio of 1.05. The 50-day and 200-day simple moving averages stand at $183.68 and $165.62, respectively. Over the past 52 weeks, Ares Management has reached a low of $125.23 and a high of $200.49. The firm's market capitalization is $59.59 billion with a P/E ratio of 93.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46, and a beta of 1.18.

Ares Management (NYSE: ARES) last announced its quarterly earnings on February 5th, reporting $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, falling short of analysts' consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.12. The company reported a net margin of 11.35% and a return on equity of 16.64%. Analysts forecast that Ares Management Co. is expected to achieve 5.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Dividend Announcement from Ares Management

The company recently declared a quarterly dividend, scheduled for payment on March 31st. Shareholders of record on March 17th are set to receive a dividend payment of $1.12 per share, representing an increase from the previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. This translates into an annualized dividend of $4.48, yielding a dividend yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date for this payment is also March 17th, with a current payout ratio of 183.25%.

Analyst Ratings for Ares Management

Several analysts have commented on Ares Management’s stock recently. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating, while Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price from $207.00 to $215.00 and assigned an "overweight" rating. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded their rating from "market perform" to "outperform," raising their price target from $166.00 to $202.00. UBS Group also increased their price objective from $158.00 to $195.00, giving the stock a "buy" rating.

Furthermore, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target from $170.00 to $185.00 and listed Ares Management with an "outperform" rating. Currently, one analyst has rated Ares Management with a sell, five have assigned a hold, and eight have issued a buy rating. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock holds a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target price of $176.17.

Ares Management Company Details

Ares Management Corporation is an alternative asset manager operating in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Through its Tradable Credit Group segment, the company manages an array of investment funds, including commingled and separately managed accounts for institutional investors, as well as publicly traded vehicles and sub-advised funds for retail investors in both tradable and non-investment grade corporate credit markets.

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