Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC Buys 2,702 Shares of Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES)

Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) by 53.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 7,735 shares of the asset manager’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,702 shares during the quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC’s holdings in Ares Management were worth $920,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rise Advisors LLC increased its stake in Ares Management by 73.9% in the 4th quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 240 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Ares Management in the third quarter worth $27,000. Hartford Financial Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ares Management by 47.4% in the 4th quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc. now owns 280 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Arlington Trust Co LLC purchased a new stake in Ares Management during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt acquired a new position in Ares Management during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. 50.03% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ares Management Stock Performance

Shares of ARES stock traded down $0.13 on Wednesday, hitting $137.16. 26,459 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,031,715. The company has a market capitalization of $42.46 billion, a PE ratio of 61.56, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.17. The company’s fifty day moving average is $133.33 and its 200 day moving average is $122.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. Ares Management Co. has a 1-year low of $80.07 and a 1-year high of $140.35.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The asset manager reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.93 by ($0.13). Ares Management had a net margin of 12.86% and a return on equity of 21.63%. The firm had revenue of $707.36 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $814.88 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.71 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Ares Management Co. will post 4.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ares Management Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be given a $0.93 dividend. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.71%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 13th. Ares Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 166.82%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on ARES shares. Barclays cut their price target on Ares Management from $153.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Ares Management from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $122.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, January 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Ares Management from $119.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Ares Management from $109.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Ares Management from $156.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $128.08.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider R. Kipp Deveer sold 80,637 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.25, for a total transaction of $10,906,154.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,116,676 shares in the company, valued at $151,030,429. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Michael J. Arougheti sold 74,585 shares of Ares Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.97, for a total value of $9,917,567.45. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,375,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $182,833,750. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider R. Kipp Deveer sold 80,637 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.25, for a total transaction of $10,906,154.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,116,676 shares in the company, valued at $151,030,429. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 1,494,440 shares of company stock worth $199,049,946. 41.89% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ares Management 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.