Ares Management Corporation Stock Price, News & Analysis

Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) has announced the opening of a new office in Milan, Italy, expanding its European presence. This strategic move aims to enhance the firm's access to the Italian market and strengthen its ability to raise and invest capital across various strategies, particularly in European Direct Lending, Wealth Management, and European Real Estate platforms.

The firm has already deployed over €1.6 billion to support Italian businesses and assets as of March 31, 2025. Tyrone Cooney, Partner & Head of France and Southern Europe for European Direct Lending, will lead a team of senior investment professionals in the Milan office. With the recent acquisition of GCP International, Ares now operates in 13 European countries, demonstrating its commitment to a localized investment approach since entering Europe in 2007.

Awayday, a leading U.S. vacation rental property manager, has secured a strategic investment from Ares Management Private Equity fund. The company currently manages over 9,000 properties through its portfolio of local brands. LightBay Capital, the existing financial sponsor, has fully realized its Fund I investment and reinvested alongside Ares in Fund II. Awayday provides comprehensive services including property listing, online bookings, housekeeping, and maintenance, with 24/7 support for property owners and guests. The new partnership will provide additional capital to scale operations, accelerate acquisitions, drive organic growth, and enhance service offerings. Under LightBay's previous partnership, Awayday improved margins, increased revenue per unit, and enhanced customer satisfaction.

Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) reported strong direct lending activity in Q1 2025, closing $11.5 billion in U.S. direct lending commitments across 81 transactions. The company achieved a record-breaking milestone of $50.4 billion in direct lending commitments across 351 transactions for the 12 months ended March 31, 2025. The press release detailed 13 significant transactions where Ares served as administrative agent, lead arranger, or bookrunner for various senior secured credit facilities. These deals supported major private equity firms including TPG Capital, Permira, Bain Capital, and Carlyle in acquisitions and growth initiatives across diverse sectors such as aviation, healthcare, insurance, and technology.

Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) reported strong Q1 2025 financial results, with GAAP net income of $47.2 million. The company achieved significant growth metrics, including fee related earnings of $367.3 million and after-tax realized income of $381.4 million ($1.09 per share). Notably, assets under management surpassed half a trillion dollars.

The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.12 per share for Class A and non-voting common stock, payable on June 30, 2025. Additionally, a quarterly dividend of $0.84375 per share was declared for Series B mandatory convertible preferred stock. The company highlighted its recent acquisition of GCP International, strengthening its Real Assets business, and noted nearly $100 billion in assets not yet paying fees.

Ares Capital Corporation (NASDAQ: ARCC) announced its Q1 2025 financial results and declared a Q2 2025 dividend of $0.48 per share, payable June 30, 2025. Key highlights include:

The company reported net investment income of $365 million ($0.54 per share), while GAAP net income decreased to $241 million ($0.36 per share) compared to $449 million ($0.76 per share) in Q1 2024. Portfolio investments reached $27.13 billion at fair value.

Notable developments include:

• Leadership transition: CEO Kipp deVeer stepping down, Kort Schnabel taking over April 30
• New investment commitments of $3.5 billion, with 92% in first lien senior secured loans
• Strong balance sheet with leverage below 1x net debt to equity
• Portfolio quality remains stable with weighted average grade of 3.1
• Successful issuance of $1 billion in unsecured notes due March 2032

The company maintains significant financial flexibility with $647 million in cash and $5.4 billion available for additional borrowings.

Ares Management has acquired a majority stake in Epika Fleet Services, a leading mobile-focused provider of preventative maintenance and repair services for commercial trucking fleets. Founded in 2016, Epika operates across nearly 40 states, serving over 2,000 fleet customers with more than 550 skilled technicians performing mobile services.

The company operates approximately 20 in-shop centers in the U.S., offering a hybrid service model. The acquisition aims to provide Epika with significant capital to enhance service offerings, expand customer base in underserved areas, and strengthen its position as a mobile-solutions provider. The transaction's financial terms were not disclosed.

GoldState Music has secured US$500 million in strategic capital through a structured capital facility co-led by Northleaf Capital Partners and Ares Management funds, along with separately raised leverage. The capital injection will support GoldState's strategy to acquire music rights and address the growing demand for music rights monetization.

The company, founded by Charles Goldstuck, aims to build a diversified portfolio of music assets across artists and genres. The partnership with these institutional investors is expected to enhance GoldState's growth and differentiation in the music rights investment space, benefiting artists, investors, and stakeholders.

Ares Management (NYSE: ARES) and Omni Bridgeway have completed a major secondary market transaction through the establishment of Omni Bridgeway Fund 9. Ares acquired a 70% interest in the fund for A$320 million, which includes a portfolio of over 150 legal assets.

The landmark deal resulted in a day-1 cash multiple exceeding 3x for Omni Bridgeway and enabled the company to fully deleverage its balance sheet while securing significant working capital. As part of the transaction, Ares also received equity warrants in Omni Bridgeway.

This transaction represents the first continuation fund and one of the largest secondary market deals in the legal finance industry, highlighting growing institutional investor interest in legal assets due to their attractive, asymmetrical, and uncorrelated return profile. The deal involved extensive due diligence on Omni Bridgeway's asset management operations and fair value methodology.

Kodiak Robotics, a leading AI-powered autonomous vehicle technology provider, has announced a merger with Ares Acquisition II (NYSE: AACT) to become publicly listed. The deal values Kodiak at a $2.5 billion pre-money equity valuation.

The company has achieved significant milestones, including over 2.6 million autonomous miles in real-world conditions and the first publicly-announced driverless trucks in commercial operations. Kodiak generates recurring revenue through its Driver-as-a-Service model, particularly in the Permian Basin, and has secured a firm commitment from Atlas Energy Solutions for 100 trucks.

The transaction includes approximately $551 million cash held in trust and over $110 million in additional funding from investors including Soros Fund Management, ARK Investments, and Ares. The merger is expected to close in the second half of 2025, with the combined company to be named Kodiak AI, Inc. and trade under ticker symbols KDK and KDK WS.