Ares Management Corp (ARES) Deepening Exposure to the AI Space
Ares Management Corp (NYSE:ARES) is one of the best NYSE stocks to buy for the long term. On February 10, 2026, Ares Management Corp (NYSE:ARES) CEO Michael Arougheti outlined the firm’s growth priorities at the Bank of America Financial Services Conference, highlighting record Q4 capital deployment of $46 billion, a 20% dividend increase, and assets under management rising to $600 billion in five years.
He emphasized expansion in private credit, digital infrastructure, and real estate, alongside AI integration to boost efficiency, while setting ambitious targets of 16%–20% annual FRE growth and over 20% RI growth. With $150 billion in dry powder and a strong deal pipeline, Arougheti expressed confidence in capturing opportunities amid favorable market conditions.
On February 5, Ares Management Corp reported Q4 2025 EPS of $1.45 and revenue of $1.5 billion. These figures fell short of analyst forecasts for EPS of $1.70 and revenue of $1.52 billion.
The company reported strong growth in management fees, which jumped 27% YoY. It also crossed $100 billion in fundraising for the year, sending its assets under management above $600 billion. For 2026, Ares Management Corp expects its fundraising to match or exceed the 2025 level.
In light of this, Raymond James upgraded ARES stock to a Strong Buy from Market Perform on February 9. It set a $157 price target for the stock. The firm based the upgrade on Ares Management’s robust outlook, which shows the company’s fee-related earnings are expected to grow 16-20% through 2028.
According to Raymond James, Ares Management has a predictable growth considering that over $100 billion of its assets under management is not earning fees yet. The firm further noted that Ares Management’s 4.1% common dividend yield further supports the investment case for ARES stock.
Ares Management Corp (NYSE:ARES) is a global alternative investment manager with nearly $623 billion of assets under management. It operates in private equity, credit, and real-estate markets, and this allows it to offer clients a wide range of primary and secondary investment solutions.
While we acknowledge the potential of ARES as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the
Disclaimer: The content of this article solely reflects the author's opinion and does not represent the platform in any capacity. This article is not intended to serve as a reference for making investment decisions.
You may also like
Korean Analyst Expects XRP Channel to Push Prices to $5
VIPKevin Warsh Sworn in as Fed Chair, Putting Broad Pressure on Crypto Assets
1. Following Kevin Warsh's appointment as Fed chair, the Fed has shifted back toward a more conservative policy stance. His hawkish position — that rates should not be cut before inflation returns to target — has significantly pushed back market expectations for easing. Holding rates steady throughout the year has now become the market's base-case scenario, while tail risks of further hikes are also beginning to be priced in. Expectations for global liquidity are tightening, although total stablecoin market capitalization in crypto continues to reach new all-time highs, with USDGO emerging as one of the fastest-growing stablecoins. 2. 10-year sovereign bond yields across major developed economies surged sharply this week: Japan climbed above 2.75% to multi-decade highs, the U.S. reached 4.57%, the UK touched 4.92%, and Germany rose to 3.14%. Yield volatility reached 3–4 sigma levels during the week, marking one of the most extreme moves since the 2022 UK pension crisis. Risk-off sentiment strengthened significantly, with capital rotating away from risk assets and into defensive assets. 3. BTC declined 1.96% this week, but the OBV volume-price divergence strategy delivered the strongest performance with +4.46% alpha. The strategy focuses on price-volume divergence signals: when price makes a new range low but OBV does not confirm with a new low, it treats this as a sign that selling momentum is fading and executes a contrarian buy on the 5-minute timeframe. Assets to watch: BTC, ONDO, HYPE, NEAR, PDD (earnings on May 27), MRVL, CRM, DELL.
StablR loses parity after attack generates $13,5 million in fake news.
Nikkei 225 surpasses 65 points amid easing oil prices.
Trending news
MoreCrypto prices
More
