Korea Investment CORP Sells 73,641 Shares of Ares Management Corporation $ARES

Korea Investment CORP lowered its holdings in Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) by 41.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 104,898 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 73,641 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP’s holdings in Ares Management were worth $16,772,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ARES. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ares Management by 116.7% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 10,360 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $1,519,000 after buying an additional 5,579 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Ares Management by 5.5% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,344 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $197,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Ares Management by 42.7% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,197 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $909,000 after acquiring an additional 1,853 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its position in shares of Ares Management by 15.3% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 1,902 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $279,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in Ares Management by 708.2% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 493 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 432 shares in the last quarter. 50.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ares Management Price Performance

NYSE:ARES opened at $108.55 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $142.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $155.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 64.23, a P/E/G ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.55. Ares Management Corporation has a 12-month low of $105.47 and a 12-month high of $195.26.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.71 by ($0.26). The business had revenue of $1.50 billion for 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. On average, analysts anticipate that Ares Management Corporation will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Ares Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.0%. This is a positive change from Ares Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. Ares Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 265.09%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Ares Management from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Ares Management from $189.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Wolfe Research set a $210.00 price objective on Ares Management and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ares Management in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $178.00 target price on shares of Ares Management in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $182.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Judy D. Olian acquired 480 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $124.43 per share, for a total transaction of $59,726.40. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 29,734 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,699,801.62. This trade represents a 1.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Ashish Bhutani acquired 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $126.61 per share, for a total transaction of $1,266,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 34,071 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,313,729.31. This trade represents a 41.54% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.52% of the company’s stock.

About Ares Management

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.