Ares Management Plans $20B Direct Lending Fund Launch
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Apr 10 2026
0mins
Should l Buy ARES?
Source: seekingalpha
- Direct Lending Fund Initiative: Ares Management is gauging investor interest for a direct lending fund with a preliminary target size of approximately $20 billion, indicating the company's proactive stance in the private credit sector to meet liquidity demands in the market.
- Redemption Limitation Actions: In Q1 2023, Ares capped redemptions from its Strategic Income Fund at 5% after receiving $1.2 billion in redemption requests, reflecting investor concerns in the private credit market, with total redemption requests reaching $20.8 billion across the sector.
- Smaller Fund Size: The new fund targets equity commitments between $10 billion and $12 billion, significantly smaller than the previous record-breaking vehicle of $33.6 billion, which is expected to expedite the timeline for raising and deploying capital, allowing the company to respond more flexibly to market changes.
- M&A Transaction Update: Whitestone REIT has entered into a definitive merger agreement with Ares Real Estate funds for an all-cash acquisition valued at approximately $1.7 billion, further solidifying Ares's position in the real estate investment landscape.
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Analyst Views on ARES
Wall Street analysts forecast ARES stock price to rise
10 Analyst Rating
8 Buy
2 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 116.220
Low
155.00
Averages
191.40
High
223.00
Current: 116.220
Low
155.00
Averages
191.40
High
223.00
About ARES
Ares Management Corporation is an alternative investment manager offering clients complementary primary and secondary investment solutions across various asset classes. Its segments include Credit Group, Private Equity Group, Real Assets Group, Secondaries Group, and Other. The Credit Group segment manages credit strategies across the liquid and illiquid spectrum, including liquid credit, alternative credit, direct lending and APAC credit. The Private Equity Group segment categorizes its investment strategies as corporate private equity, special opportunities and APAC private equity. The Real Assets Group segment manages comprehensive equity and debt strategies across real estate and infrastructure investments. The Secondaries Group segment invests in secondary markets across a range of alternative asset class strategies, including private equity, real estate, infrastructure and credit. It has operations across North America, South America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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