Ares Management Corporation
Financials · Asset Management & Custody Banks
Structural: pure-play on private credit and bank-disintermediation supercycle - direct lending AUM compounding ~20%/yr since 2020 as regional banks retreat from middle-market lending. ~$135B of dry powder + ~95% of management fees on permanent/long-dated capital = highly visible FRE growth.
Asset-light GP economics; FRE margin ~40%+ and scaling.
8T by 2028 (Preqin); ARES is #1 originator. (2) Fee-related earnings grew ~25% CAGR 2020-2024; management guides >20% FRE growth through 2027. (3) Insurance balance sheet (Aspida) adds ~$25B of perpetual capital and a structural funding edge over $BX, $KKR, $APO in BDC/direct lending.
(4) Retail/wealth channel scaling - non-traded BDC (ARCC-adjacent) + interval funds compounding double-digits. (5) Performance fees are upside option, not core thesis.
(1) Direct-lending spreads compressing as $BX, $APO, $KKR, $BAM, $TPG all crowd middle-market origination - late-cycle vintage risk. (2) Trading ~25x FRE - premium to $BX/$KKR despite lower performance-fee leverage. (3) Default cycle in sponsor-backed lending has not been tested at current AUM scale; PIK income masking credit deterioration is the sector tail risk.
(4) Higher-for-longer rates eventually compress LBO origination volumes. (5) Insurance pivot (Aspida) imports duration/credit mismatch risk and rating-agency scrutiny.
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