Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) Downgraded by StockNews.com to “Sell”

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report issued on Wednesday.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Ares Management from $146.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Ares Management from $136.00 to $162.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Ares Management from $184.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Ares Management from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Ares Management from $172.00 to $176.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $166.36.

Ares Management Trading Up 0.4 %

ARES opened at $176.07 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $55.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 81.14, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The company’s 50 day moving average is $168.29 and its 200-day moving average is $151.74. Ares Management has a 1-year low of $110.41 and a 1-year high of $180.38.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last issued its earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The asset manager reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $833.58 million. Ares Management had a net margin of 12.51% and a return on equity of 19.89%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.83 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Ares Management will post 4.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Bennett Rosenthal sold 75,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.05, for a total transaction of $10,728,750.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider R. Kipp Deveer sold 115,838 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.83, for a total value of $20,599,471.54. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,259,162 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $223,916,778.46. This trade represents a 8.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 719,811 shares of company stock valued at $121,845,234 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 41.89% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ares Management

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Ares Management by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 65,417 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $10,195,000 after acquiring an additional 4,000 shares in the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. raised its stake in shares of Ares Management by 24.6% in the second quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 192,634 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $25,674,000 after purchasing an additional 38,047 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ares Management by 5.6% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 682,985 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $106,436,000 after purchasing an additional 36,476 shares in the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new position in shares of Ares Management during the third quarter valued at approximately $900,000. Finally, Retireful LLC bought a new stake in Ares Management during the second quarter worth $696,000. 50.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.