Ares Management (ARES) Stock Price, Fundamentals & Analysis

What ARES does

Ares Management (ARES) is a US stock in the Financial Services sector, specifically the Asset Management industry, headquartered in Los Angeles. It operates as an alternative asset manager with three main business lines. Its Direct Lending Group provides financing solutions to small- and medium-sized companies. The Private Equity Group focuses on early venture, turnaround, mid venture, late venture, recapitalization, growth capital, middle market, mezzanine, distressed and growth buyouts, primarily in under-capitalized companies across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Southeast Asia and Australia. The Real Estate Group invests in new developments and the repositioning of assets, with a focus on control or majority-control investments, and originates and invests in a range of self-originated financing opportunities for middle-market owners and operators of commercial real estate. The firm prefers to invest between $1 million and $500 million in companies having EBITDA between $10 million and $250 million and debt investment value between $10 million and $100 million.

Key numbers explained

• The current price is 121.48 USD, down 2.6% today, with a 52-week range of 95.8 – 181.31 and a year-over-year decline of -25.9%.
• The trailing P/E ratio of 55.7 compares the current price to the last 12 months of earnings, while the forward P/E ratio of 16.9 reflects expected future earnings.
• The trailing 12-month earnings per share is 2.18 USD, and the dividend yield stands at 4.33%, meaning the annual dividend represents 4.33% of the current price.
• The ex-dividend date is 16 sept. 2026, and the company pays out 227% of its earnings as dividends, a level that exceeds reported earnings.
• The beta of 1.52 indicates the stock has historically moved more than the market, while the debt-to-equity ratio of 172.4% shows a high level of debt relative to equity.
• The price-to-book ratio is 10.96, comparing the market price to the company's book value per share.

Recent news

Recent headlines indicate that Ares Management has formed a $2.4 billion logistics joint venture with PSP, and has also upsized its Momentum Financial loan facility. Other coverage highlights a logistics venture targeting $2.4 billion in earnings, a discussion comparing dividend yields across financial stocks, and Harbor Capital Advisors' 5-year anniversary as an ETF issuer.

What to watch

As an alternative asset manager, Ares Management's performance is tied to credit market conditions, private equity deal flow, and real estate cycles. Investors often monitor its dividend yield and payout ratio alongside earnings growth and leverage levels. The stock's sensitivity to interest rates and its exposure to illiquid assets can create volatility, which is reflected in its beta of 1.52. For broader context, Ares Management is part of the S&P 500, and peers such as Fidelity National Information Services (FIS), Synchrony Financial (SYF), and Corpay (CPAY) operate in the financial services space.