Ares Management 10-Q 2024-03-31
Filed 2024-05-09. 8 sections, 577K characters. Original on sec.gov · Markdown · JSON
Cover and table of contents
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-Q
| ☒ | QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2024
OR
| ☐ | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the transition period from to
Commission File No. 001-36429

ARES MANAGEMENT CORPORATION
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 80-0962035 | ||||
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
2000 Avenue of the Stars, 12th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90067
(Address of principal executive office) (Zip Code)
(310) 201-4100
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
N/A
(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||||||
| Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share | ARES | New York Stock Exchange |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days: Yes x No ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes x No ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company.” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large Accelerated Filer | x | Accelerated Filer | ☐ | Non-Accelerated Filer | ☐ | Smaller Reporting Company | ☐ | Emerging Growth Company | ☐ |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No x
As of May 2, 2024 there were 191,203,721 of the registrant’s shares of Class A common stock outstanding, 3,489,911 of the registrant’s shares of non-voting common stock outstanding, 1,000 shares of the registrant’s Class B common stock outstanding, and 115,120,213 of the registrant’s Class C common stock outstanding.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This report contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), which reflect our current views with respect to, among other things, future events, operations and financial performance. You can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of forward-looking words such as “outlook,” “believes,” “expects,” “potential,” “continues,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “seeks,” “predicts,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “foresees” or negative versions of those words, other comparable words or other statements that do not relate to historical or factual matters. The forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs, assumptions and expectations of our future performance, taking into account all information currently available to us. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties and assumptions relating to our operations, financial results, financial condition, business prospects, growth strategy and liquidity. Some of these factors are described in this report and in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, under the headings “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Item 1A. Risk Factors.” These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the risk factors and other cautionary statements that are included in this report and in our other periodic filings. If one or more of these or other risks or uncertainties materialize, or if our underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, our actual results may vary materially from those indicated in these forward-looking statements. New risks and uncertainties arise over time, and it is not possible for us to predict those events or how they may affect us. Therefore, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made. We do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law.
References in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q to the “Ares Operating Group” refer to Ares Holdings L.P. (“Ares Holdings”). References in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q to an “Ares Operating Group Unit” or an “AOG Unit” refers to a partnership unit in the Ares Operating Group entity.
The use of any defined term in this report to mean more than one entities, persons, securities or other items collectively is solely for convenience of reference and in no way implies that such entities, persons, securities or other items are one indistinguishable group. For example, notwithstanding the use of the defined terms “Ares,” “we” and “our” in this report to refer to Ares Management Corporation and its subsidiaries, each subsidiary of Ares Management Corporation is a standalone legal entity that is separate and distinct from Ares Management Corporation and any of its other subsidiaries.
Under generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“U.S.”) (“GAAP”), we are required to consolidate (i) entities other than limited partnerships and entities similar to limited partnerships in which we hold a majority voting interest or have majority ownership and control over the operational, financial and investing decisions of that entity, including Ares-affiliates and affiliated funds and co-investment vehicles, for which we are presumed to have controlling financial interests, and (ii) entities that we concluded are variable interest entities (“VIEs”), including limited partnerships and collateralized loan obligations, for which we are deemed to be the primary beneficiary. When an entity is consolidated, we reflect the assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses and cash flows of the entity in our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements on a gross basis, subject to eliminations from consolidation, including the elimination of the management fees, carried interest, incentive fees and other fees that we earn from the entity. However, the presentation of performance related compensation and other expenses associated with generating such revenues is not affected by the consolidation process. In addition, as a result of the consolidation process, the net income attributable to third-party investors in consolidated entities is presented as net income attributable to non-controlling interests in Consolidated Funds within Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. We also consolidate joint ventures that we have established with third-party investors for strategic distribution and expansion purposes. The results of these entities are reflected on a gross basis in the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, subject to eliminations from consolidation, and net income attributable to third-party investors in the consolidated joint ventures is presented within net income attributable to redeemable interest and non-controlling interests in Ares Operating Group entities or an “AOG Entity,” which refers to, collectively, Ares Holdings and any future entity designated by our board of directors in its sole discretion as an Ares Operating Group entity.
In this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, in addition to presenting our results on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP, we present revenues, expenses and other results on a: (i) “segment basis,” which deconsolidates the consolidated funds and removes the proportional results attributable to third-party investors in the consolidated joint ventures, and therefore shows the results of our operating segments without giving effect to the consolidation of these entities; and (ii) “unconsolidated reporting basis,” which shows the results of our operating segments on a combined segment basis together with our Operations Management Group. In addition to our operating segments, we have an Operations Management Group (the “OMG”). The OMG consists of shared resource groups to support our operating segments by providing infrastructure and administrative support in the areas of accounting/finance, operations, information technology, legal, compliance, human resources, strategy
and relationship management and distribution. The OMG includes Ares Wealth Management Solutions, LLC (“AWMS”) that facilitates the product development, distribution, marketing and client management activities for investment offerings in the global wealth management channel. Additionally, the OMG provides services to certain of the Company’s managed funds and vehicles, which reimburse the OMG for expenses either equal to the costs of services provided or as a percentage of invested capital. The OMG’s revenues and expenses are not allocated to our operating segments but we consider the cost structure of the OMG when evaluating our financial performance. This information constitutes non-GAAP financial information within the meaning of Regulation G, as promulgated by the SEC. Our management uses this information to assess the performance of our operating segments and the OMG, and we believe that this information enhances the ability of shareholders to analyze our performance. For more information, see “Note 13. Segment Reporting,” within our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
Glossary
When used in this report, unless the context otherwise requires:
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“American-style waterfall” generally refers to carried interest that the general partner is entitled to receive after a fund investment is realized and the investors in the fund have received distributions in excess of the capital contributed for that investment and all prior realized investments (including allocable expenses) plus a preferred return;
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“Ares”, the “Company”, “AMC”, “we”, “us” and “our” refer to Ares Management Corporation and its subsidiaries;
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“Ares Operating Group entities” or an “AOG Entity” refers to, collectively, Ares Holdings, L.P. (“Ares Holdings”) and any future entity designated by our board of directors in its sole discretion as an Ares Operating Group entity;
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“Ares Operating Group Unit” or an “AOG Unit” refers to, collectively, a partnership unit in the Ares Operating Group entities including Ares Holdings and any future entity designated by our board of directors in its sole discretion as an Ares Operating Group entity;
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“assets under management” or “AUM” generally refers to the assets we manage. For our funds other than CLOs, our AUM represents the sum of the net asset value (“NAV”) of such funds, the drawn and undrawn debt (at the fund-level including amounts subject to restrictions) and uncalled committed capital (including commitments to funds that have yet to commence their investment periods). NAV refers to the fair value of the assets of a fund less the fair value of the liabilities of the fund. For the CLOs we manage, our AUM is equal to initial principal of collateral adjusted for paydowns. AUM also includes the proceeds raised in the initial public offerings of special purpose acquisition companies (“SPACs”) sponsored by us, less any redemptions;
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“AUM not yet paying fees” (also referred to as “shadow AUM”) refers to AUM that is not currently paying fees and is eligible to earn management fees upon deployment;
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“available capital” (also referred to as “dry powder”) is comprised of uncalled committed capital and undrawn amounts under credit facilities and may include AUM that may be canceled or not otherwise available to invest;
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“catch-up fees” refers to management fees charged retroactively on limited partner commitments to a fund following the initial close date of that fund. These fees are charged to ensure that all limited partners’ claims on the net assets of that fund are ratable with their commitment. Catch-up fees reflect the fees generated between the fund’s initial close date and the last day of the quarter prior to the new limited partner’s commitment;
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“CLOs” refers to “our funds” that are structured as collateralized loan obligations;
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“Consolidated Funds” refers collectively to certain Ares funds, co-investment vehicles, CLOs and SPACs that are required under GAAP to be consolidated in our consolidated financial statements;
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“Credit Facility” refers to the revolving credit facility of the Ares Operating Group;
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“effective management fee rate” represents annualized management fees divided by the average fee paying AUM for the period, excluding the impact of catch-up fees;
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“European-style waterfall” generally refers to carried interest that the general partner is entitled to receive after the investors in a fund have received distributions in an amount equal to all prior capital contributions plus a preferred return;
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“fee paying AUM” or “FPAUM” refers to the AUM from which we directly earn management fees. FPAUM is equal to the sum of all the individual fee bases of our funds that directly contribute to our management fees. For
our funds other than CLOs, our FPAUM represents the amount of limited partner capital commitments for certain closed-end funds within the reinvestment period, the amount of limited partner invested capital for the aforementioned closed-end funds beyond the reinvestment period and the portfolio value, gross asset value or NAV. For the CLOs we manage, our FPAUM is equal to the gross amount of aggregate collateral balance, at par, adjusted for defaulted or discounted collateral;
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“fee related earnings” or “FRE”, a non-GAAP measure, is used to assess core operating performance by determining whether recurring revenue, primarily consisting of management fees and fee related performance revenues, is sufficient to cover operating expenses and to generate profits. FRE differs from income before taxes computed in accordance with GAAP as FRE excludes net performance income, investment income from our funds and adjusts for certain other items that we believe are not indicative of our core operating performance. Fee related performance revenues, together with fee related performance compensation, is presented within FRE because it represents incentive fees from perpetual capital vehicles that are measured and eligible to be received on a recurring basis and are not dependent on realization events from the underlying investments;
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“fee related performance revenues” refers to incentive fees from perpetual capital vehicles that are: (i) measured and eligible to be received on a recurring basis; and (ii) not dependent on realization events from the underlying investments. Certain vehicles are subject to hold back provisions that limit the amounts paid in a particular year. Such hold back amounts may be paid in subsequent years, subject to their extended performance conditions;
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“GAAP” refers to accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America;
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“Holdco Members” refers to Michael Arougheti, David Kaplan, Antony Ressler, Bennett Rosenthal, Ryan Berry and R. Kipp deVeer;
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“Incentive eligible AUM” or “IEAUM” generally refers to the AUM of our funds and other entities from which carried interest and incentive fees may be generated, regardless of whether or not they are currently generating carried interest and incentive fees. It generally represents the NAV plus uncalled equity or total assets plus uncalled debt, as applicable, of our funds for which we are entitled to receive carried interest and incentive fees, excluding capital committed by us and our professionals (from which we generally do not earn carried interest and incentive fees), as well as proceeds raised in the initial public offerings of SPACs sponsored by us, less any redemptions. With respect to Ares Capital Corporation (NASDAQ: ARCC) (“ARCC”), Ares Strategic Income Fund (“ASIF”) and Ares European Strategic Income Fund’s (“AESIF”) AUM, only Part II Fees may be generated from IEAUM;
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“Incentive generating AUM” or “IGAUM” refers to the AUM of our funds and other entities that are currently generating carried interest and incentive fees on a realized or unrealized basis. It generally represents the NAV or total assets of our funds, as applicable, for which we are entitled to receive carried interest and incentive fees, excluding capital committed by us and our professionals (from which we generally do not earn carried interest and incentive fees). ARCC, ASIF and AESIF are only included in IGAUM when Part II Fees are being generated;
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“management fees” refers to fees we earn for advisory services provided to our funds, which are generally based on a defined percentage of fair value of assets, total commitments, invested capital, net asset value, net investment income, total assets or par value of the investment portfolios managed by us. Management fees include Part I Fees, a quarterly fee based on the net investment income of certain funds;
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“net inflows of capital” refers to net new commitments during the period, including equity and debt commitments and gross inflows into our open-ended managed accounts and sub-advised accounts, as well as new debt and equity issuances by our publicly-traded vehicles minus redemptions from our open-ended funds, managed accounts and sub-advised accounts;
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“net performance income” refers to performance income net of related compensation that is typically payable to our professionals;
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“our funds” refers to the funds, alternative asset companies, trusts, co-investment vehicles and other entities and accounts that are managed or co-managed by the Ares Operating Group, and which are structured to pay fees. It also includes funds managed by Ivy Hill Asset Management, L.P., a wholly owned portfolio company of ARCC and an SEC-registered investment adviser;
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“Part I Fees” refers to a quarterly fee on the net investment income of ARCC, CION Ares Diversified Credit Fund (“CADC”), ASIF and AESIF. Such fees are classified as management fees as they are predictable and recurring in nature, not subject to contingent repayment and generally cash-settled each quarter, unless subject to a payment deferral;
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“Part II Fees” refers to fees from ARCC, ASIF and AESIF that are paid in arrears as of the end of each calendar year when the respective cumulative aggregate realized capital gains exceed the cumulative aggregate realized capital losses and aggregate unrealized capital depreciation, less the aggregate amount of respective Part II Fees paid in all prior years since inception;
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“performance income” refers to income we earn based on the performance of a fund that is generally based on certain specific hurdle rates as defined in the fund’s investment management or partnership agreements and may be either incentive fees earned from funds with stated investment periods or carried interest;
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“perpetual capital” refers to the AUM of: (i) our publicly-traded vehicles, including ARCC, Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation (NYSE: ACRE) (“ACRE”) and Ares Dynamic Credit Allocation Fund, Inc. (NYSE: ARDC) (“ARDC”); (ii) our non-traded vehicles, including ASIF, CADC and AESIF, our non-traded real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) and Ares Private Markets Fund (“APMF”); (iii) Aspida Holdings Ltd. (together with its subsidiaries, “Aspida”); and (iv) certain other commingled funds and managed accounts that have an indefinite term, are not in liquidation, and for which there is no immediate requirement to return invested capital to investors upon the realization of investments. Perpetual Capital - Managed Accounts refers to managed accounts for single investors primarily in illiquid strategies that meet the perpetual capital criteria. Perpetual Capital - Private Commingled Funds refers to commingled funds that meet the perpetual capital criteria, not including our publicly-traded vehicles or non-traded vehicles. Perpetual capital may be withdrawn by investors under certain conditions, including through an election to redeem an investor’s fund investment or to terminate the investment management agreement, which in certain cases may be terminated on 30 days’ prior written notice. In addition, the investment management or advisory agreements of certain of our publicly-traded and non-traded vehicles have one year terms, which are subject to annual renewal by such vehicles;
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“realized income” or “RI”, a non-GAAP measure, is an operating metric used by management to evaluate performance of the business based on operating performance and the contribution of each of the business segments to that performance, while removing the fluctuations of unrealized income and losses, which may or may not be eventually realized at the levels presented and whose realizations depend more on future outcomes than current business operations. RI differs from income before taxes by excluding: (i) operating results of our Consolidated Funds; (ii) depreciation and amortization expense; (iii) the effects of changes arising from corporate actions; and (iv) unrealized gains and losses related to carried interest, incentive fees and investment performance; and adjusts for certain other items that we believe are not indicative of our operating performance. Changes arising from corporate actions include equity-based compensation expenses, the amortization of intangible assets, transaction costs associated with mergers, acquisitions and capital activities, underwriting costs and expenses incurred in connection with corporate reorganization. Placement fee adjustment represents the net portion of either expense deferral or amortization of upfront fees to placement agents that is presented to match the timing of expense recognition with the period over which management fees are expected to be earned from the associated fund for segment purposes but have been expensed in advance in accordance with GAAP. For periods in which the amortization of upfront fees for segment purposes is higher than the GAAP expense, the placement fee adjustment is presented as a reduction to RI;
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“SEC” refers to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Many of the terms used in this report, including AUM, FPAUM, FRE and RI, may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies. In addition, our definitions of AUM and FPAUM are not based on any definition of AUM or FPAUM that is set forth in the agreements governing the funds that we manage and may differ from definitions of AUM or FPAUM set forth in other agreements to which we are a party or definitions used by the SEC or other regulatory bodies. Further, FRE and RI are not measures of performance calculated in accordance with GAAP. We use FRE and RI as measures of operating performance, not as measures of liquidity. FRE and RI should not be considered in isolation or as substitutes for operating income, net income, operating cash flows, or other income or cash flow statement data prepared in accordance with GAAP. The use of FRE and RI without consideration of related GAAP measures is not adequate due to the adjustments described above. Our management compensates for these limitations by using FRE and RI as supplemental measures to our GAAP results. We present these measures to provide a more complete understanding of our performance as our management measures it.
Amounts and percentages throughout this report may reflect rounding adjustments and consequently totals may not appear to sum.
PART I—FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1. Financial Statements
Ares Management Corporation
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition (Amounts in Thousands, Except Share Data)
| As of | |||||||||||
| March 31, 2024 | December 31, 2023 | ||||||||||
| (unaudited) | |||||||||||
| Assets | |||||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 346,331 | $ | 348,274 | |||||||
| Investments (includes accrued carried interest of $3,361,519 and $3,413,007 as of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively) | 4,484,884 | 4,624,932 | |||||||||
| Due from affiliates | 809,273 | 896,746 | |||||||||
| Other assets | 519,292 | 429,979 | |||||||||
| Right-of-use operating lease assets | 237,019 | 249,326 | |||||||||
| Intangible assets, net | 1,030,076 | 1,058,495 | |||||||||
| Goodwill | 1,130,085 | 1,123,976 | |||||||||
| Assets of Consolidated Funds: | |||||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | 1,199,376 | 1,149,511 | |||||||||
| Investments held in trust account | 529,887 | 523,038 | |||||||||
| Investments, at fair value | 13,790,030 | 14,078,549 | |||||||||
| Due from affiliates | 15,924 | 14,151 | |||||||||
| Receivable for securities sold | 243,998 | 146,851 | |||||||||
| Other assets | 77,095 | 86,672 | |||||||||
| Total assets | $ | 24,413,270 | $ | 24,730,500 | |||||||
| Liabilities | |||||||||||
| Accounts payable, accrued expenses and other liabilities | $ | 262,551 | $ | 233,884 | |||||||
| Accrued compensation | 217,788 | 287,259 | |||||||||
| Due to affiliates | 363,308 | 240,254 | |||||||||
| Performance related compensation payable | 2,449,732 | 2,514,610 | |||||||||
| Debt obligations | 3,046,182 | 2,965,480 | |||||||||
| Operating lease liabilities | 308,336 | 319,572 | |||||||||
| Liabilities of Consolidated Funds: | |||||||||||
| Accounts payable, accrued expenses and other liabilities | 189,556 | 189,523 | |||||||||
| Due to affiliates | 12,727 | 3,554 | |||||||||
| Payable for securities purchased | 548,032 | 484,117 | |||||||||
| CLO loan obligations, at fair value | 11,906,346 | 12,345,657 | |||||||||
| Fund borrowings | 78,241 | 125,241 | |||||||||
| Total liabilities | 19,382,799 | 19,709,151 | |||||||||
| Commitments and contingencies | |||||||||||
| Redeemable interest in Consolidated Funds | 529,787 | 522,938 | |||||||||
| Redeemable interest in Ares Operating Group entities | 23,612 | 24,098 | |||||||||
| Non-controlling interests in Consolidated Funds | 1,515,302 | 1,258,445 | |||||||||
| Non-controlling interests in Ares Operating Group entities | 1,194,276 | 1,322,469 | |||||||||
| Stockholders’ Equity | |||||||||||
| Class A common stock, $0.01 par value, 1,500,000,000 shares authorized (191,057,860 shares and 187,069,907 shares issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively) | 1,911 | 1,871 | |||||||||
| Non-voting common stock, $0.01 par value, 500,000,000 shares authorized (3,489,911 shares issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023) | 35 | 35 | |||||||||
| Class B common stock, $0.01 par value, 1,000 shares authorized (1,000 shares issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023) | — | — | |||||||||
| Class C common stock, $0.01 par value, 499,999,000 shares authorized (115,120,213 shares and 117,024,758 shares issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively) | 1,151 | 1,170 | |||||||||
| Additional paid-in-capital | 2,387,437 | 2,391,036 | |||||||||
| Accumulated deficit | (612,560) | (495,083) | |||||||||
| Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax | (10,480) | (5,630) | |||||||||
| Total stockholders’ equity | 1,767,494 | 1,893,399 | |||||||||
| Total equity | 4,477,072 | 4,474,313 | |||||||||
| Total liabilities, redeemable interest, non-controlling interests and equity | $ | 24,413,270 | $ | 24,730,500 |
See accompanying notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
Ares Management Corporation
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
(Amounts in Thousands, Except Share Data)
(unaudited)
| Three months ended March 31, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Revenues | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Management fees | $ | 687,692 | $ | 600,516 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Carried interest allocation | (32,478) | 151,488 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Incentive fees | 8,667 | 8,923 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Principal investment income | 7,050 | 22,758 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Administrative, transaction and other fees | 36,432 | 29,677 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total revenues | 707,363 | 813,362 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Expenses | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Compensation and benefits | 412,951 | 360,781 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Performance related compensation | (50,532) | 111,658 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General, administrative and other expenses | 170,928 | 148,345 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Expenses of Consolidated Funds | 5,146 | 7,852 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total expenses | 538,493 | 628,636 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other income (expense) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net realized and unrealized gains on investments | 10,516 | 1,515 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Interest and dividend income | 5,382 | 3,839 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Interest expense | (37,824) | (24,986) |
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Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Ares Management Corporation is a Delaware corporation. Unless the context otherwise requires, references to “Ares,” “we,” “us,” “our,” and the “Company” are intended to mean the business and operations of Ares Management Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries. The following discussion analyzes the financial condition and results of operations of the Company. “Consolidated Funds” refers collectively to certain Ares funds, co-investment vehicles, CLOs and SPACs that are required under U.S. GAAP to be consolidated in our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Additional terms used by the Company are defined in the Glossary and throughout the Management’s Discussion and Analysis in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of Ares Management Corporation and the related notes included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and the audited financial statements and the related notes included in the 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K of Ares Management Corporation.
Amounts and percentages presented throughout our discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations may reflect rounded results in thousands (unless otherwise indicated) and consequently, totals may not appear to sum. In addition, illustrative charts may not be presented at scale.
Period-over-period analysis of current year compared to prior year may be deemed to be not meaningful and is designated as “NM” within the discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations.
Trends Affecting Our Business
We believe that our disciplined investment philosophy across our distinct but complementary investment groups contributes to the stability of our performance throughout market cycles. For the three months ended March 31, 2024, 95% of our management fees were derived from perpetual capital vehicles or long-dated funds. Our funds have a stable base of committed capital enabling us to invest in assets with a long-term focus over different points in a market cycle and to take advantage of market volatility. However, our results from operations, including the fair value of our AUM, are affected by a variety of factors. Conditions in the global financial markets and economic and political environments may impact our business, particularly in the U.S., Europe and Asia-Pacific.
The following table presents returns of selected market indices:
| Returns (%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type of Index | Name of Index | Region | Three months ended March 31, 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| High yield bonds | ICE BAML High Yield Master II Index | U.S. | 1.5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| High yield bonds | ICE BAML European Currency High Yield Index | Europe | 1.7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leveraged loans | Credit Suisse Leveraged Loan Index (“CSLLI”) | U.S. | 2.5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leveraged loans | Credit Suisse Western European Leveraged Loan Index | Europe | 2.0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Equities | S&P 500 Index | U.S. | 10.6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Equities | MSCI All Country World Ex-U.S. Index | Non-U.S. | 4.7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Real estate equities | FTSE NAREIT All Equity REITs Index | U.S. | (2.3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Real estate equities | FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Developed Europe Index | Europe | (3.5) |
Global markets began the year positively amid modest inflation and optimistic signaling by central banks. Despite the headwinds and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, U.S. and European high yield bonds and leveraged loans returned positive performance. The Asian-Pacific markets experienced mixed performance as the region overall continued to show growth primarily driven by resilient demand in Southeast Asia, India and Australia, while opportunities have been limited in China from uncertainty surrounding the economy. Overall, reduced lending activity by banks and limited capital accessibility continued to support private credit growth.
Global equity markets continued to rally into the first quarter of 2024 following a positive finish to 2023. While the public markets began the year positively, the private markets continued to experience challenges with downward pressure on valuations and muted opportunities for realizations. The private equity markets continue to experience a prolonged slowdown in deal activity and we believe potential liquidity constraints from investors have increased the need for flexible capital solutions. Businesses have struggled to navigate this challenging growth and uncertain macroeconomic environment, which we believe has heightened the need for partnerships with value-add managers. This environment underscores the importance of investing in
resilient industries where we have the ability to drive fundamental business growth and deliver a systematic approach to long-term value creation.
The commercial real estate markets continued to be impacted by the macroeconomic environment. European and U.S. real estate deal activity remained subdued with limited transactional liquidity. Given the higher interest rate environment, property valuations remain soft, though capitalization rate yields are beginning to stabilize following the sustained widening seen in 2023. We believe certain of these market trends will be offset by continued strong fundamentals, such as occupancy and rental rates, in property types that include multifamily and industrial.
The current market environment has had a more pronounced negative impact on certain industries, including energy, which is an industry in which few of our funds have made investments. As of March 31, 2024, 1% of our total AUM was invested in debt and equity investments in the energy sector (of which less than 1% of our total AUM was invested in midstream investments and also includes oil and gas exploration) and less than 1% of our total AUM was invested in renewable energy investments.
We believe our portfolios across all strategies are well positioned for a fluctuating interest rate environment. On a market value basis, approximately 85% of our debt assets and 56% of our total assets were floating rate instruments as of March 31, 2024.
Managing Business Performance
Operating Metrics
We measure our business performance using certain operating metrics that are common to the alternative asset management industry, which are discussed below.
Assets Under Management
AUM refers to the ass
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Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Our primary exposure to market risk is related to our role as general partner or investment adviser to our funds and the sensitivity to movements in the fair value of their investments, including the effect on management fees, performance income and investment income.
Market Risk
The market price of investments may significantly fluctuate during the period of investment. Investments may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries represented in the securities markets. The value of an investment may decline due to general market conditions, which are not specifically related to such investment, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. It may also decline due to factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs, supply chain constraints and competitive conditions within an industry.
Our credit orientation has been a central tenet of our business across our debt and equity investment strategies. We believe the combination of high-quality proprietary information flow and a consistent, rigorous approach to managing investments across our strategies has been, and we believe will continue to be, a major driver of our strong risk-adjusted returns and the stability and predictability of our income.
Exchange Rate Risk
We and our funds hold investments that are denominated in foreign currencies that may be affected by movements in the rate of exchange between those currencies and the U.S. dollar. Movements in the exchange rate between currencies impact the management fees, carried interest and incentive fees earned by funds with fee paying AUM denominated in foreign currencies as well as by funds with fee paying AUM denominated in U.S. dollars that hold investments denominated in foreign currencies. Additionally, movements in the exchange rate impact operating expenses for our global offices that transact in foreign currencies and the revaluation of assets and liabilities denominated in non-functional currencies, including cash balances and investments.
We manage our exposure to exchange rate risks through our regular operating activities, wherein we utilize payments received in foreign currencies to fulfill obligations in foreign currencies, and, when appropriate, through the use of derivative financial instruments to hedge the net foreign currency exposure in: the funds that we advise; the balance sheet exposure for certain direct investments denominated in foreign currencies; and the cash flow exposure for foreign currencies.
Credit Risk
We are party to agreements providing for various financial services and transactions that contain an element of risk in the event that the counterparties are unable to meet the terms of such agreements. In such agreements, we depend on the counterparty to make payment or otherwise perform. We generally endeavor to minimize our risk of exposure by limiting to reputable financial institutions the counterparties with which we enter into financial transactions. In other circumstances, availability of financing from financial institutions may be uncertain due to market events, and we may not be able to access these financing markets.
In the ordinary course of business, we may extend loans to our funds or guarantee credit facilities held by our funds and could be subject to risk of loss or repayment if our funds do not perform.
Certain of our funds’ investments include lower-rated and comparable quality unrated distressed investments and other instruments. These issuers can be more sensitive to adverse market conditions, such as a recession or increasing interest rates, as compared to higher rated issuers. We seek to minimize risk exposure by subjecting each prospective investment to our rigorous, credit-oriented investment approach.
As of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, we had cash balances with financial institutions in excess of Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insured limits. We seek to mitigate this exposure by monitoring the credit standing of these financial institutions.
There have been no material changes in our market risks for the three months ended March 31, 2024. For additional information on our market risks, refer to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, which is accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
We maintain disclosure controls and procedures (as that term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures. Any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives. Our management, with the participation of our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of March 31, 2024. Based upon that evaluation and subject to the foregoing, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded that, as of March 31, 2024, the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures were effective to accomplish their objectives at the reasonable assurance level.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) during the quarter ended March 31, 2024 that have materially affected, or that are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
PART II.
Item 1. Legal Proceedings
From time to time, we, our executive officers, directors and our funds and their investment advisers, and their respective affiliates and/or any of their respective principals and employees are subject to legal proceedings, including those arising from our management of such funds, and, as a result, incur significant costs and expenses in connection with such legal proceedings.
We and our funds and their investment advisers are also subject to extensive regulation, which, from time to time, results in requests for information from us or our funds and their investment advisers or legal or regulatory proceedings or investigations against us or our funds and their investment advisers, respectively. We incur significant costs and expenses in connection with any such information requests, proceedings and investigations.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
In addition to the other information set forth in this report, you should carefully consider the risk factors described in Part I, “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, which is accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. The risks described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 are not the only risks facing us. These risks and additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and/or operating results.
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
We did not sell any equity securities during the period covered in this report that were not registered under the Securities Act.
All unregistered purchases of equity securities during the period covered by this Quarterly Report were previously disclosed in our current reports on Form 8-K or quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.
As permitted by our policies and procedures governing transactions in our securities by our directors, executive officers and other employees, from time to time some of these persons may establish plans or arrangements complying with Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act, and similar plans and arrangements relating to our Class A common stock.
Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities
None.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
Item 5. Other Information
Rule 10b5-1 Trading Plans
During the three months ended March 31, 2024, certain executive officers and directors of the Company or a vehicle controlled by them (each, a “Plan Participant”) entered into Rule 10b5-1 trading plan (a “Rule 10b5-1 Trading Plan”) to sell shares of the Company’s Class A common stock, in each case, subject to any applicable volume limitations.
The table below provides certain information regarding each Plan Participant’s Rule 10b5-1 Trading Plan.
| Name and Title | Plan Date | Maximum Shares That May Be Sold Under the Plan | Plan Expiration Date | |||||||||||||||||
| R. Kipp deVeer, Director and Head of Credit Group | February 28, 2024 | 41,676 | February 28, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||
| Bennett Rosenthal, Director, Co-Founder and Chairman of Private Equity Group | March 1, 2024 | 250,000 | January 31, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||
| David Kaplan, Director and Co-Founder | March 1, 2024 | 250,000 | January 31, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||
A Rule 10b5-1 Trading Plan is a written document that pre-establishes the amounts, prices and dates (or formulas for determining the amounts, prices and dates) of future purchases or sales of the Company’s common stock, including, if applicable, shares issued upon exercise of stock options or vesting of restricted stock units.
Each Plan Participant’s Rule 10b5-1 Trading Plan was adopted during an authorized trading period and when such Plan Participant was not in possession of material non-public information and is intended to satisfy the affirmative defense of Rule 10b5-1(c) under the Exchange Act.
Item 6. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules
(a)Exhibits.
The following is a list of all exhibits filed or furnished as part of this report.
| Exhibit No. | Description | |||||||
| 3.1 | Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Ares Management Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (File No. 001-36429) filed with the SEC on May 6, 2021). | |||||||
| 3.2 | Bylaws of Ares Management Incorporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.4 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-36429) filed with the SEC on November 15, 2018). | |||||||
| 10.1# | Form of Annual Incentive Fee Award letter (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.26 to the Registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 001-36429) filed with the SEC on February 27, 2024). | |||||||
| 10.2# | Form of Annual Incentive Fee Restricted Unit Agreement under the 2023 Equity Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.47 to the Registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 001-36429) filed with the SEC on February 27, 2024). | |||||||
| 10.3 | Amendment No. 12, dated as of March 28, 2024, to the Sixth Amended and Restated Senior Credit Agreement, dated as of April 21, 2014, by and among Ares Holdings L.P., the Guarantors party thereto, the Lenders party thereto and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-36429) filed with the SEC on April 3, 2024). | |||||||
| 31.1* | Certification of the Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a). | |||||||
| 31.2* | Certification of the Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a). | |||||||
| 32.1** | Certification of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350. | |||||||
| 101.INS | XBRL Instance Document - the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document. | |||||||
| 101.SCH | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document. | |||||||
| 101.CAL | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document. | |||||||
| 101.DEF | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document. | |||||||
| 101.LAB | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document. | |||||||
| 101.PRE | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document. | |||||||
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File - the cover page interactive data file does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document. |
Denotes a management contract or compensation plan or arrangement.
- Filed herewith. ** These certifications are not deemed filed by the SEC and are not to be incorporated by reference in any filing we make under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, irrespective of any general incorporation language in any filings.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
| ARES MANAGEMENT CORPORATION | |||||||||||
| Dated: May 9, 2024 | By: | /s/ Michael J Arougheti | |||||||||
| Name: | Michael J Arougheti | ||||||||||
| Title: | Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer & President (Principal Executive Officer) | ||||||||||
| Dated: May 9, 2024 | By: | /s/ Jarrod Phillips | |||||||||
| Name: | Jarrod Phillips | ||||||||||
| Title: | Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial & Accounting Officer) | ||||||||||