Clearbridge Investments LLC Has $284.20 Million Stock Position in Ares Management Corporation $ARES

Clearbridge Investments LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) by 13.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,758,316 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 261,703 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC’s holdings in Ares Management were worth $284,197,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. ING Groep NV acquired a new position in Ares Management during the fourth quarter valued at $1,537,000. Capital International Inc. CA raised its position in Ares Management by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Inc. CA now owns 51,179 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $8,272,000 after buying an additional 940 shares during the period. Capital International Investors raised its position in Ares Management by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,257,710 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $688,176,000 after buying an additional 14,516 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Ares Management during the fourth quarter valued at $136,000. Finally, Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC raised its position in Ares Management by 32.1% during the fourth quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 4,747 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $767,000 after buying an additional 1,154 shares during the period. 50.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ares Management Stock Performance

Shares of ARES stock opened at $125.92 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.23 and a quick ratio of 0.23. Ares Management Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $95.80 and a fifty-two week high of $195.26. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $117.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $135.38. The firm has a market cap of $41.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.57, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.51.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The asset manager reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.32 by ($0.08). Ares Management had a return on equity of 22.14% and a net margin of 10.54%.The firm had revenue of $1.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.28 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.09 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Ares Management Corporation will post 6.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ares Management Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. Ares Management’s dividend payout ratio is presently 251.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on ARES shares. UBS Group set a $148.00 price target on Ares Management in a research report on Friday, February 20th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Ares Management from $140.00 to $112.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Ares Management from $178.00 to $163.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Ares Management in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Ares Management from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $162.56.

Ares Management Profile

Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) is a global alternative asset manager that provides investment solutions across credit, private equity and real estate. The firm originates and manages capital across a range of strategies including direct lending, syndicated and special situations credit, private equity buyouts and growth investments, and real estate equity and debt. Ares serves institutional investors, insurance companies, pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and high?net?worth clients through both commingled funds and bespoke managed account structures.

Within credit, Ares offers strategies spanning leveraged loans, structured credit, opportunistic and distressed debt, and specialty finance, with an emphasis on underwriting, portfolio construction and active asset management.