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 best short-term AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
