Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) Shares Sold by Capital Investment Counsel LLC

Capital Investment Counsel LLC reduced its stake in shares of Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 68,794 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 1,778 shares during the period. Ares Management makes up approximately 2.0% of Capital Investment Counsel LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Capital Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Ares Management were worth $12,179,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ARES. Genesee Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ares Management by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Genesee Capital Advisors LLC now owns 10,049 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,779,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Stonegate Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in Ares Management in the fourth quarter valued at $217,000. KBC Group NV raised its position in shares of Ares Management by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 28,000 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $4,957,000 after acquiring an additional 1,220 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ares Management by 52.1% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,442 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $255,000 after acquiring an additional 494 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. grew its position in shares of Ares Management by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 5,490 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $972,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.03% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Ares Management

In other Ares Management news, Chairman Bennett Rosenthal sold 20,048 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.44, for a total transaction of $3,356,837.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 229,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $38,503,162.88. This trade represents a 8.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Ryan Berry sold 1,671 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $292,425.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 253,214 shares in the company, valued at $44,312,450. This trade represents a 0.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 574,167 shares of company stock worth $99,996,647 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 41.89% of the company’s stock.

Ares Management Price Performance

NYSE:ARES opened at $193.51 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $180.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $162.87. The stock has a market cap of $60.58 billion, a PE ratio of 89.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05. Ares Management Co. has a one year low of $119.76 and a one year high of $197.53.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The asset manager reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.01. Ares Management had a return on equity of 19.89% and a net margin of 12.51%. The business had revenue of $1.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $833.58 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.83 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Ares Management Co. will post 4.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ares Management Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 17th were paid a $0.93 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 17th. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.92%. Ares Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 171.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on ARES shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Ares Management from $176.00 to $174.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. UBS Group increased their target price on Ares Management from $158.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Ares Management from $184.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Ares Management from $146.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Ares Management from $212.00 to $207.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ares Management currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $176.08.

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.