14,034 Shares in Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) Bought by Avanza Fonder AB

Avanza Fonder AB acquired a new position in shares of Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 14,034 shares of the asset manager’s stock, valued at approximately $2,484,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Ares Management by 67.0% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 162 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd bought a new position in Ares Management in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Eastern Bank acquired a new position in Ares Management during the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Ares Management by 53.4% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 227 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ares Management by 21.0% in the 3rd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 559 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $87,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. 50.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ares Management Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE:ARES opened at $191.69 on Friday. Ares Management Co. has a 1 year low of $112.83 and a 1 year high of $192.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The business’s 50-day moving average is $177.20 and its 200-day moving average is $160.18. The company has a market capitalization of $60.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 88.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.18.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The asset manager reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 return on equity of 19.89% and a net margin of 12.51%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.83 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Ares Management Co. will post 4.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Ares Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 17th were issued a $0.93 dividend. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.94%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 17th. Ares Management’s payout ratio is 171.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Ares Management from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Ares Management from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $166.00 to $202.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Ares Management from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Ares Management from $212.00 to $207.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Ares Management from $155.00 to $174.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ares Management presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $171.92.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ares Management

In related news, insider Ryan Berry sold 1,671 shares of Ares Management stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total value of $292,425.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 253,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,312,450. This trade represents a 0.66 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael J. Arougheti sold 15,825 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.24, for a total transaction of $2,646,573.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 214,079 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,802,571.96. The trade was a 6.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 574,167 shares of company stock valued at $99,996,647. Corporate insiders own 41.89% of the company’s stock.

Ares Management 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.