Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Ares Management Corporation $ARES

Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) by 29.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 112,431 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 47,467 shares during the period. Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC’s holdings in Ares Management were worth $18,172,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its stake in Ares Management by 100.0% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 190 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Ares Management in the second quarter worth about $35,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Ares Management in the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Ares Management during the 3rd quarter valued at about $50,000. Finally, First Horizon Corp purchased a new stake in Ares Management in the 3rd quarter valued at about $51,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.03% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Ares Management

In other Ares Management news, Director Ashish Bhutani acquired 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $126.61 per share, with a total value of $1,266,100.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 34,071 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,313,729.31. This trade represents a 41.54% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Judy D. Olian bought 480 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $124.43 per share, for a total transaction of $59,726.40. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 29,734 shares in the company, valued at $3,699,801.62. The trade was a 1.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.52% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on ARES. UBS Group set a $148.00 target price on shares of Ares Management in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ares Management in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wolfe Research set a $210.00 price target on Ares Management and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Wall Street Zen lowered Ares Management from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Ares Management from $180.00 to $173.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $179.73.

Ares Management Price Performance

Shares of ARES stock opened at $107.61 on Tuesday. Ares Management Corporation has a 1-year low of $95.80 and a 1-year high of $195.26. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $124.56 and its 200 day moving average is $147.96. The company has a market cap of $35.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 63.68, a PEG ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.22.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by ($0.26). The firm had revenue of $1.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.38 billion. Ares Management had a return on equity of 19.04% and a net margin of 9.41%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.55 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Ares Management Corporation will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ares Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. This is a positive change from Ares Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.0%. Ares Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently 319.53%.

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.