Insider Selling: Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) Insider Sells $11,192,990.74 in Stock

Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) insider David B. Kaplan sold 69,526 shares of Ares Management stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.99, for a total value of $11,192,990.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 30,474 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,906,009.26. This represents a 69.53 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Ares Management Price Performance

Shares of ARES opened at $155.11 on Friday. Ares Management Co. has a 52-week low of $125.23 and a 52-week high of $200.49. 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 business’s 50 day moving average price is $182.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $170.09. The firm has a market cap of $48.92 billion, a PE ratio of 76.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.23.

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 net margin of 11.35% and a return on equity of 16.64%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ares Management Co. will post 5.28 EPS for the current year.

Ares Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. This is an increase from Ares Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.89%. Ares Management’s payout ratio is currently 183.25%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ares Management

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Ares Management by 67.0% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 162 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ares Management during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Ares Management by 104.8% during the fourth quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 170 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Elequin Capital LP bought a new stake in Ares Management during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in Ares Management during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors own 50.03% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on ARES. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Ares Management in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays cut their price target on Ares Management from $224.00 to $217.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Ares Management from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $166.00 to $202.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. StockNews.com lowered Ares Management from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Ares Management from $146.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $176.17.

About Ares Management

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.