AMG vs ARES Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
AMG is a traditional active management holding company earning economics from boutique manager affiliates, facing secular headwinds from the shift to passive investing, while ARES is a fast-growing alternative asset manager benefiting from institutional demand for private credit and alternative investments. These represent contrasting trajectories within the asset management industry.
AMG vs ARES captures the asset management generational divide — AMG's established boutique active manager model under secular pressure against ARES' fast-growing alternative credit platform riding structural tailwinds.
AMG holds the edge across 4 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. AMG leads on both 1-year return (+45.62%) and forward P/E quality (8.31x vs 18.30x for ARES), a relatively favorable combination of momentum and valuation. AMG leads on both revenue growth (29.90%) and operating margin (30.36%), suggesting a stronger fundamental setup on both dimensions. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for AMG (+23.05%) than for ARES (+12.26%).
Human Wall Street analysts' price targets, typically implying a ~12-month view — a separate signal from this site's own AI Prediction Signal further down the page, which is a 5-/30-day machine-learning forecast based on price history alone.
- Want exposure to established boutique active managers generating durable fee income and significant capital return through buybacks
- Value AMG's discounted valuation relative to the sum of its affiliate earnings as a contrarian active management play
- Prefer predictable cash generation and buyback-driven EPS growth over growth-oriented alternative asset expansion
- Want exposure to the fast-growing private credit and alternative asset management trend driven by institutional demand
- Value Ares' fee-related earnings growth from expanding AUM in direct lending, real estate, and infrastructure
- See private credit as a durable structural growth opportunity as banks retreat from middle market lending
| Metric | AMG | ARES |
|---|---|---|
| AI scorei | 41.4 | 57.2 |
| AI ranki | #1043 | #227 |
| Latest closei | $355.80 | $123.80 |
| 1M returni | +0.11% | -13.49% |
| 6M returni | +27.68% | +14.64% |
| 1Y returni | +45.62% | -32.50% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | AMG | ARES |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $14.56K (+45.6%) started 2025-09-18 | $6.75K (-32.5%) started 2025-09-18 |
| 5Y ago | $23.78K (+137.8%) started 2021-09-20 | $16.18K (+61.8%) started 2021-09-20 |
| 10Y ago | $24.51K (+145.1%) started 2016-09-19 | $65.16K (+551.6%) started 2016-09-19 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | AMG | ARES |
|---|---|---|
| Market capi | $9.2B | $43.67B |
| Trailing P/Ei | 12.49 | 60.11 |
| Forward P/Ei | 8.31 | 18.30 |
| Price/Salesi | N/A | N/A |
| EV/Revenuei | 5.75 | 8.20 |
| Analyst targeti | $437.57 | $147.78 |
| Target upsidei | +23.05% | +12.26% |
| Metric | AMG | ARES |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growthi | 29.90% | 5.80% |
| Earnings growthi | 148.20% | 6.50% |
| EPS growthi | +148.20% | +6.50% |
| FCF margini | +12.21% | +36.07% |
| Operating margini | 30.36% | 19.38% |
| Profit margini | 37.72% | 10.63% |
| ROIC proxyi | 24.26% | 14.94% |
| Return on equityi | 24.26% | 14.94% |
| Dividend yieldi | 0.01% | 4.10% |
| Payout ratioi | 0.14% | 226.61% |
| Dividend growth streaki | N/A | N/A |
| Betai | 1.10 | 1.52 |
| Debt/equityi | 76.10 | 172.38 |
| Current ratioi | 101.31 | 0.54 |
| Quick ratioi | 101.31 | 0.47 |
Over the past year, AMG and ARES have moved moderately in the same direction (correlation of 0.54), based on daily returns.
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | AMG | ARES |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | +45.62% | -32.50% |
| CAGRi | +45.65% | -32.52% | |
| Volatilityi | 33.04% | 44.20% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 1.17 | -0.77 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 1.73 | -1.03 | |
| Max drawdowni | 19.72% | 47.39% | |
| Current drawdowni | 7.20% | 32.50% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 5.33% | 25.48% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 7.35% | 27.89% | |
| Max daily dropi | 10.72% | 11.19% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 12.54% | 19.66% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | +137.77% | +61.81% |
| CAGRi | +18.94% | +10.12% | |
| Volatilityi | 31.97% | 38.11% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.56 | 0.33 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.83 | 0.45 | |
| Max drawdowni | 41.24% | 51.32% | |
| Current drawdowni | 7.20% | 37.54% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 15.78% | 13.86% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 19.46% | 18.79% | |
| Max daily dropi | 12.38% | 15.48% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 15.39% | 23.78% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +145.06% | +551.58% |
| CAGRi | +9.38% | +20.62% | |
| Volatilityi | 34.58% | 36.70% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.30 | 0.57 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.44 | 0.82 | |
| Max drawdowni | 79.07% | 51.32% | |
| Current drawdowni | 7.20% | 37.54% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 29.31% | 11.96% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 35.93% | 16.16% | |
| Max daily dropi | 18.08% | 15.48% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 28.74% | 28.50% |
| Category | AMG | ARES |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Affiliated Managers Group, Inc. | Ares Management Corporation |
| Sector | Financial Services | Financial Services |
| Industry | Asset Management | Asset Management |
| Core business | Affiliated Managers Group takes equity stakes in independent, boutique active investment management firms (its 'affiliates'), providing operational support and distribution while allowing affiliate managers to maintain their investment independence and entrepreneurial culture. | Ares Management is a large global alternative asset manager specializing in credit (direct lending, liquid credit), private equity, real estate, and infrastructure, managing permanent and long-duration capital for institutional investors seeking yield and diversification. |
| Investor focus | Investors track AMG's economic earnings per share, aggregate AUM and flows across affiliates, the health of active management fee economics, and share buyback activity as the company returns capital given limited new investment in a challenging active management environment. | Investors track Ares' fee-related earnings (FRE) growth, assets under management (AUM) with particular focus on fee-earning AUM, fundraising across strategies, and the credit cycle impact on its large direct lending and liquid credit platforms. |
- Diversified exposure across many boutique managers with differentiated strategies and client bases reduces single-manager concentration risk
- Affiliate model preserves investment talent by giving managers equity in their own firms — addressing the key retention challenge in the asset management industry
- Predictable fee economics from established affiliates generate durable cash flow for capital return to shareholders
- Credit-focused alternative investment platform benefits from institutional demand for private credit in a higher-for-longer interest rate environment
- Permanent and long-duration capital structures (CLOs, BDCs, closed-end funds) provide revenue stability versus traditional open-ended vehicle volatility
- Global reach and scale across credit, private equity, real estate, and infrastructure provides diversification and cross-selling opportunities
- Secular shift from active to passive investing pressures AUM growth and fee rates across AMG's boutique active manager affiliates
- Affiliate performance matters significantly — underperforming affiliates see outflows and declining revenue even without talent losses
- New affiliate investments in a challenging active management environment are less attractive than historically
- Credit quality in the direct lending portfolio matters in economic downturns — elevated defaults in middle market loans could impair portfolio values
- High-rate environment that benefits credit returns may also create mark-to-market pressures in leveraged buyout portfolios
- Growing competition in private credit from banks re-entering the market and new entrants could pressure deal spreads
Want deeper AI forecasts?
This comparison page is public and free forever. Subscribers can unlock saved watchlists, full AI rankings, detailed forecasts, and interactive analysis tools.