Handelsbanken Fonder AB Boosts Stake in Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its holdings in Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) by 49.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 80,620 shares of the asset manager’s stock after acquiring an additional 26,739 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Ares Management were worth $14,272,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Ares Management by 9.0% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 8,244,179 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,284,773,000 after acquiring an additional 679,462 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its holdings in Ares Management by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,301,709 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $982,058,000 after acquiring an additional 63,851 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Ares Management by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,826,479 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $596,318,000 after acquiring an additional 187,184 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Ares Management by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,678,177 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $600,830,000 after acquiring an additional 18,773 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Ares Management by 12.4% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,201,863 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $566,826,000 after acquiring an additional 352,126 shares during the last quarter. 50.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ares Management Stock Down 3.2 %

Shares of NYSE ARES opened at $174.00 on Friday. Ares Management Co. has a 12-month low of $125.23 and a 12-month high of $200.49. The company has a market cap of $54.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 85.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $185.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $168.02.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.35 by ($0.12). Ares Management had a net margin of 11.35% and a return on equity of 16.64%. Research analysts anticipate that Ares Management Co. will post 5.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ares Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a $1.12 dividend. This is an increase from Ares Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. Ares Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently 183.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ares Management

In other Ares Management news, insider Ryan Berry sold 5,443 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.14, for a total value of $980,502.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 247,771 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,633,467.94. This represents a 2.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider David B. Kaplan sold 28,887 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.82, for a total transaction of $5,078,912.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 87,461 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,377,393.02. The trade was a 24.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 392,200 shares of company stock valued at $70,426,505 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Ares Management in a report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com downgraded Ares Management from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Ares Management from $184.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Ares Management from $224.00 to $217.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Ares Management from $146.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $176.17.

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.