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Management credibility scorecard

Ares Management (ARES)

3 quarters tracked (Q4'25 to Q2'26) · latest call July 31, 2026
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92%
Kept of 13 resolved
12
Kept or exceeded
1
Missed
5
Still pending

Score History

QuarterCall dateDisclosureFinancial qualityKeptMissed
Q2'26July 31, 20268/122 high, 4 medium, 2 low flags11Call sheet →
Q1'26May 1, 20269/126 low flags50Call sheet →
Q4'25February 5, 20269/122 medium, 4 low flags60Call sheet →
Disclosure: the 6-item rubric, each scored 0-2, out of 12. Financial quality: flagged indicators by severity. Kept and missed count the prior-quarter promises scored on that call.

Promise Ledger · All Quarters

MarkedStatusPromise
Q2'26PendingReal estate secondaries first close in back half of year
Reiterated H2 2026 timeline
Q2'26PendingFRE margin expansion toward upper end of 0-150bps range
YTD at 42.3%, needs acceleration in H2 to hit upper end
Q2'26PendingJapan fund to reach hard cap later this year
On track for Q3 close at hard cap per current commentary
Q2'26MissedHold significant first close for global data center fund this summer
Pushed to 'late Q3 and into Q4', clear timeline slip
Q2'26DeliveredComplete Alternative Credit Fund 3 fundraise in Q2 at hard cap
Raised $8.5B at hard cap, exceeded $6.5B target significantly
Q2'26PendingLaunch fourth SDL fund with first close late Q3/early Q4
Now saying first close 'sometime in the fall', slight slippage in specificity
Q1'26PendingSoftware portfolio resilience through AI concerns
Commissioned external consultant study but portfolio performance yet to be tested through full cycle
Q1'26ExceededEuropean and Infrastructure deployment acceleration
European direct lending had 'very strong deployment' while Infrastructure showed 'notable strength'
Q1'26DeliveredStrong deployment despite market volatility
$32B+ deployment vs $28B prior year, +14% growth despite 41% industry M&A decline
Q1'26DeliveredRecord fundraising year expectations
$30B Q1 vs $21B prior year Q1, +46% growth puts on track for record annual fundraising
Q1'26DeliveredContinued margin expansion toward high end of 0-150bps range
FRE margin expanded 90bps YoY to 42.4%, tracking toward upper end of target range
Q1'26Delivered2025 guidance of 16-20% FRE growth, 20-25% realized income growth
FRE grew 26% YoY, realized income grew 24% YoY, both exceeding high end of guidance ranges
Q4'25DeliveredMaintain conservative loan-to-value ratios
Portfolio LTV at ~44%, software book even lower at 37%
Q4'25DeliveredBenefit from industry diversification and specialization
Added 100+ new borrowers across 21 industries, expanded specialized verticals
Q4'25DeliveredStable credit quality metrics
Non-accruals remained at 1.8% at cost, in line with prior quarter and year
Q4'25ExceededContinue generating realized gains from portfolio management
Generated over $100M in pretax realized gains, equity co-investments averaged 25%+ IRR
Q4'25DeliveredMaintain dividend coverage through spillover income
$988M spillover provides 2+ quarters coverage as promised
Q4'25ExceededHigher origination volumes in second half of 2025
Q4 originations of $5.8B were 53% above Q4 2024, record annual originations achieved
Each row is a promise from the prior call, scored against the quarter in "Marked". Kept-promise rate counts resolved promises only; pending is excluded.
Promise-kept rate counts resolved promises only (pending excluded).
Scores, kept-promise rates, and flags on this site reflect the author's opinion, applying a stated methodology to statements management made on public earnings calls. Informational and educational purposes only - not investment advice, a recommendation, or an offer to buy or sell any security. Sources believed reliable but not guaranteed; the author may hold positions in the securities discussed.

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