Hilton Capital Management LLC Boosts Holdings in Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES)

Hilton Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 88,686 shares of the asset manager’s stock after buying an additional 760 shares during the quarter. Ares Management makes up about 1.1% of Hilton Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Hilton Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Ares Management were worth $13,821,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ares Management by 20.0% during the 1st quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 8,488 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,129,000 after buying an additional 1,417 shares in the last quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd raised its stake in Ares Management by 118.2% during the 1st quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 2,400 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $319,000 after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted its holdings in Ares Management by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 65,325 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $8,693,000 after purchasing an additional 1,345 shares in the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new position in Ares Management in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,995,000. Finally, Natixis grew its holdings in Ares Management by 401.4% during the 1st quarter. Natixis now owns 10,273 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,366,000 after buying an additional 8,224 shares in the last quarter. 50.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ares Management Stock Performance

Shares of Ares Management stock opened at $170.35 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $53.33 billion, a PE ratio of 78.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $161.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $148.51. Ares Management Co. has a one year low of $105.89 and a one year high of $175.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 1st. The asset manager reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $833.58 million. Ares Management had a net margin of 12.51% and a return on equity of 19.89%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.83 EPS. Research analysts expect that Ares Management Co. will post 4.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ares Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 17th will be paid a $0.93 dividend. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 17th. Ares Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 171.43%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider David B. Kaplan sold 15,816 shares of Ares Management stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.25, for a total transaction of $2,645,226.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 214,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $35,859,905.25. The trade was a 6.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael J. Arougheti sold 19,040 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.73, for a total transaction of $2,793,739.20. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 81,461 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,952,772.53. This represents a 18.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 590,579 shares of company stock valued at $89,737,173. Insiders own 41.89% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on ARES shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Ares Management from $176.00 to $174.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Ares Management from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Ares Management from $146.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Ares Management from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Ares Management from $136.00 to $162.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ares Management presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $166.36.

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.