Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Ares Management achieved a record $994 million in management fees for Q4 2025, totaling $3.7 billion for the full year, reflecting a 27% and 25% year-over-year growth respectively [30] - Fee-related earnings (FRE) for the full year increased by 30%, with a record $528 million in Q4, and FRE margins improved to 41.7% [32] - Realized income for Q4 reached a record $589 million, exceeding $1.8 billion for the full year, marking a 26% increase from 2024 [34] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The wealth management business saw AUM grow to over $66 billion, a 69% increase year-over-year, driven by strong performance across various strategies [9] - The real estate group raised more than $16 billion for the year, including over $7 billion in Q4, with significant commitments in various funds [19] - The secondaries group raised $12.9 billion for the full year, with AUM increasing by 45%, nearly doubling in size since the acquisition of Landmark [23] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Ares Management's total AUM reached over $622 billion, a 29% increase year-over-year, with significant fundraising activities contributing to this growth [7] - The company reported a record $36 billion in fundraising for Q4, contributing to a total of $113 billion for the year [6] - Deployment across real assets more than doubled from approximately $10 billion in 2024 to over $23 billion in 2025 [11] Company Strategy and Development Direction - Ares Management is focused on expanding its investment platform and geographic reach, with strategic enhancements including new products and operational efficiencies [9] - The acquisition of GCP has positioned Ares as a top three global owner and operator of industrial real estate, enhancing its real estate and digital infrastructure offerings [9] - The company aims to leverage its diversified product suite to capture growth opportunities across various asset classes and geographies [14] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed optimism about the improving transaction environment and pent-up demand for private equity sponsors seeking liquidity solutions [12] - The company anticipates strong demand for its investment strategies in 2026, supported by a substantial dry powder of $156 billion [29] - Management highlighted the resilience of its credit portfolios, with strong fundamentals and improving metrics across various strategies [46] Other Important Information - Ares Management plans to launch its fourth U.S. Senior Direct Lending Fund later in 2026 and its seventh European Direct Lending Fund in early 2027 [18] - The company has initiated over 25 AI projects aimed at enhancing investment decision-making and operational efficiency [9] - Ares has been added to the S&P 500 Index, reflecting its growth and market position [9] Q&A Session Summary Question: Impact of software AI disruption on deployment efforts - Management expressed confidence in their software investments, emphasizing the differentiation between various software companies and their resilience against disruption [49][51] Question: Wealth channel performance and sentiment - Management noted strong flows in January and February, with broad-based demand across private credit and core infrastructure products, indicating a positive sentiment despite market volatility [56][62] Question: Outlook for fundraising and deployment in real assets and secondaries - Management confirmed plans for significant fundraising in their flagship credit vehicles, with expectations for strong deployment opportunities in real estate and secondaries [68][70]

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) Q4 2025 Earnings call February 05, 2026 11:00 AM ET Company ParticipantsCraig Seigenthaler - Managing DirectorGreg Mason - Co-Head of Public Markets Investor RelationsJarrod Phillips - CFOMichael Arougheti - CEOMichael Cyprys - Managing Director and the Head of U.S. Brokers, Asset Managers, and Exchanges ResearchMitchell Goldstein - Company RepresentativeConference Call ParticipantsAlex Blostein - Managing Director and Senior AnalystBenjamin Budish - Research AnalystBill Katz - M ...

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Ares Management achieved a record $994 million in management fees for Q4 2025, totaling $3.7 billion for the full year, representing a 27% increase quarter-over-quarter and a 25% increase year-over-year [28] - Fee-related earnings (FRE) for the full year increased by 30% compared to the prior period, with a record FRE of $528 million in Q4, reflecting a 33% year-over-year growth [31] - Realized income for Q4 reached a record $589 million, with full-year realized income exceeding $1.8 billion, marking a 26% increase from 2024 [34] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The wealth management business saw AUM grow to over $66 billion, a 69% increase year-over-year, driven by strong performance across semi-liquid wealth products [7][22] - The real estate group raised more than $16 billion for the year, including over $7 billion in Q4, with significant commitments in various real estate strategies [18] - The secondaries group raised $12.9 billion for the full year, with AUM increasing by 45%, nearly doubling in size since the acquisition of Landmark [21] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Ares Management's total AUM reached over $622 billion, a 29% increase year-over-year, with $113 billion in total fundraising for 2025 [5] - The company reported a record $46 billion in deployment for Q4, with full-year gross deployment totaling $146 billion, a 37% increase over 2024 [6] - The private equity business reported organic portfolio company EBITDA growth of 13% for the last 12 months in its latest fund, ACOF Six [10] Company Strategy and Development Direction - Ares Management is focused on expanding its investment platform and geographic reach, with significant investments in new data systems and AI projects to enhance decision-making and operational efficiency [7][8] - The acquisition of GCP has positioned Ares as a global top three owner and operator of industrial real estate, contributing to the growth of its real estate and digital infrastructure offerings [7] - The company aims to leverage its diverse strategies across asset classes and geographies to capture growth opportunities, particularly in real assets and secondaries [68] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed optimism about the improving transaction environment and pent-up demand for private equity sponsors seeking liquidity solutions, supported by a large inventory of seasoned assets and an improving interest rate environment [12][13] - The company anticipates 2026 to be a significant year for realizing European-style performance fees, with expectations for substantial growth in fee-related performance revenues [28] - Management highlighted strong fundamentals across credit portfolios, with loan-to-value ratios near historical lows and improving interest coverage [34][43] Other Important Information - Ares Management declared a 20% year-over-year increase in its first quarter 2026 common dividend to $1.35 per share [3] - The company has a substantial dry powder of $156 billion, positioning it well for future investments [27] - Ares is well-prepared to navigate market challenges, including potential risks from AI disruptions, with a diversified portfolio and strong fundamentals [42][43] Q&A Session Summary Question: Impact of software AI disruption on deployment efforts - Management expressed confidence in their software investments, emphasizing the diversification and stability of their portfolio, and noted that the disruption would not significantly impact overall origination volumes [47][50] Question: Wealth channel performance and sentiment - Management reported strong flows in January and February, with broad-based demand across private credit and core infrastructure products, indicating resilience in the wealth channel despite some cyclicality [54][59] Question: Outlook for real assets and secondaries - Management highlighted ongoing growth in real estate and secondaries, with expectations for significant fundraising and deployment opportunities in these areas [64][71]

An aggressive stock market sell-off focused on investors' fears that AI will disrupt the software industry has spread to some of Wall Street's biggest money management firms. And their executives have seen enough. "For those on the call that are thinking Fortune 500 companies are going to take all their software and just rip it out and just say, 'I'll just ask ChatGPT,' that's simply not the way it works. Don't take my word for it again. We're not technologists. Take Jensen Huang's words for it," Blue Owl ...

An aggressive stock market sell-off focused on investors' fears that AI will disrupt the software industry has spread to some of Wall Street's biggest money management firms. And their executives have seen enough. "For those who have got to pause and think, there's not just a matter of technology, there's the adoption of behavior. And for those on the call that are thinking Fortune 500 companies are going to take all their software and just rip it out and just say, 'I'll just ask ChatGPT,' that's simply n ...

Ares Management Corporation Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Results NEW YORK--Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) today reported its financial results for its fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2025. GAAP net income attributable to Ares Management Corporation was $54.2 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2025. On a basic and diluted basis, net income attributable to Ares Management Corporation per share of Class A and non- voting common stock was $0.08 for the quarter ended ...

Ares Management Corp. Chief Executive Officer Michael Arougheti says many private market companies are "well-hedged" against changes caused by AI. He speaks on "Bloomberg Open Interest." ...

Shares of Ares Management ( ARES ) have been a poor performer over the past year, losing about 30% of their value. Shares pushed towards a 52-week low this week, given a confluence of pressures. Private credit has, of course, been an increasing concern for investors following severalOver fifteen years of experience making contrarian bets based on my macro view and stock-specific turnaround stories to garner outsized returns with a favorable risk/reward profile. If you want me to cover a specific stock or ha ...

Ares Management (ARES) came out with quarterly earnings of $1.45 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.71 per share. This compares to earnings of $1.23 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of -15.20%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this private equity firm would post earnings of $1.14 per share when it actually produced earnings of $1.19, delivering a surprise of +4.39%.Over the last four quarters, ...

Record $19.4 Billion in New Commitments Closed in the Fourth Quarter and, $55.0 Billion Closed in the 12 Months Ended December 31, 2025 NEW YORK, NY / ACCESS Newswire / February 5, 2026 / Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) announced today that Ares Credit funds (collectively "Ares") closed record U.S. direct lending commitments of approximately $19.4 billion across 119 transactions during the fourth quarter of 2025 and approximately $55.0 billion across 358 transactions in the 12 months ended December ...