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ARES vs. GS: Ares Management vs. Goldman Sachs Stock Comparison

How do Ares Management (ARES) and Goldman Sachs (GS) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Ares Management (ARES) and Goldman Sachs (GS) both belong to the Capital Markets industry, though ARES is classified under Asset Management & Custody Banks while GS falls under Investment Banking & Brokerage.

Company profile comparison for Ares Management (ARES) and Goldman Sachs (GS)
Profile ItemARESGS
NameAres Management Corp. Class A Common StockThe Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupFinancial ServicesFinancial Services
GICS IndustryCapital MarketsCapital Markets
GICS Sub-IndustryAsset Management & Custody BanksInvestment Banking & Brokerage
Market Capitalization44.45 billion USD249.73 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateMay 2, 2014May 4, 1999
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ARES
GS
GSPC
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Ares Management (ARES) vs. Goldman Sachs (GS), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Ares Management (ARES) and Goldman Sachs (GS). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Ares Management (ARES) and Goldman Sachs (GS). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Ares Management (ARES) and Goldman Sachs (GS)
MetricARESGS
Total Return (1Y)-5.55%17.85%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)13.18%44.69%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)13.38%20.41%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ARES
GS
GSPC
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Ares Management (ARES) vs. Goldman Sachs (GS), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Ares Management (ARES) and Goldman Sachs (GS). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Ares Management (ARES) and Goldman Sachs (GS)
MetricARESGS
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)44.09%33.28%
Beta (5Y)1.451.27
Max Drawdown (5Y)-49.97%-30.90%
Avg. Volume (3M)2.20M2.10M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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ARES and GS are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Ares Management (ARES) and Goldman Sachs (GS)
MetricARESGS
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.220.41
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.310.59

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Goldman Sachs (GS) earns 17.71% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Ares Management (ARES) has no ROE this period.

ARES

Financial Services industry group

--

Max
44.78%
Q3
21.85%
Median
12.91%
Q1
4.48%
Min
-18.71%
ARES
--

GS

Financial Services industry group

17.71%

Max
44.78%
Q3
21.85%
GS
17.71%
Median
12.91%
Q1
4.48%
Min
-18.71%
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Ares Management (ARES) vs. Goldman Sachs (GS): ARES does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; GS is benchmarked against the Financial Services industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Goldman Sachs (GS) at 31.21% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Ares Management (ARES) at 8.69%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

ARES

Financial Services industry group

8.69%

Max
62.84%
Q3
28.05%
Median
15.36%
ARES
8.69%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%

GS

Financial Services industry group

31.21%

Max
62.84%
GS
31.21%
Q3
28.05%
Median
15.36%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%
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Ares Management (ARES) vs. Goldman Sachs (GS): A comparison of their net margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Goldman Sachs (GS) at 38.37% runs core operations around its industry’s norm, while Ares Management (ARES) at 2.89% operates in the bottom quartile.

ARES

Financial Services industry group

2.89%

Max
107.33%
Q3
55.90%
Median
30.09%
Q1
14.60%
ARES
2.89%
Min
-44.34%

GS

Financial Services industry group

38.37%

Max
107.33%
Q3
55.90%
GS
38.37%
Median
30.09%
Q1
14.60%
Min
-44.34%
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Ares Management (ARES) vs. Goldman Sachs (GS): A comparison of their operating margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Ares Management (ARES) and Goldman Sachs (GS)
MetricARESGS
ROE (TTM)--17.71%
ROA (TTM)--1.11%
Net Margin (TTM)8.69%31.21%
Operating Margin (TTM)2.89%38.37%
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Ares Management (ARES) at 44.19% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Goldman Sachs (GS) at 8.92% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for ARES.

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Ares Management (ARES) vs. Goldman Sachs (GS): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Ares Management (ARES) at -16.67% and Goldman Sachs (GS) at 26.59% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Ares Management (ARES) vs. Goldman Sachs (GS): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Ares Management (ARES) and Goldman Sachs (GS)
MetricARESGS
Revenue Growth (YoY)44.19%8.92%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)22.39%7.16%
EPS Growth (YoY)-16.67%26.59%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)25.02%19.52%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Ares Management (ARES) in Financial Services and Goldman Sachs (GS) in Financial Services both report balance sheets without a current/non-current split, so their short-term liquidity is better judged through regulatory and funding measures.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

debt-to-equity ratio is set aside for both: Ares Management (ARES) in Financial Services and Goldman Sachs (GS) in Financial Services run businesses where balance-sheet leverage is part of the model, so capital-adequacy and funding measures are the better gauges of balance-sheet risk.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Ares Management (ARES) and Goldman Sachs (GS)
MetricARESGS
Current Ratio (MRQ)----
Debt / Equity (MRQ)----
Net Debt / EBITDA----

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Ares Management (ARES) at 3.87% and Goldman Sachs (GS) at 2.07% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

ARES

Financial Services industry group

3.87%

Max
9.77%
Q3
3.92%
ARES
3.87%
Median
1.09%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

GS

Financial Services industry group

2.07%

Max
9.77%
Q3
3.92%
GS
2.07%
Median
1.09%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Ares Management (ARES) vs. Goldman Sachs (GS): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Ares Management (ARES) reports payout ratio above 100% at 423.77%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile Goldman Sachs (GS) reports 25.88%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ARES

Financial Services industry group

423.77%

ARES
423.77%
Max
241.07%
Q3
97.36%
Median
25.77%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

GS

Financial Services industry group

25.88%

Max
241.07%
Q3
97.36%
GS
25.88%
Median
25.77%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Ares Management (ARES) vs. Goldman Sachs (GS): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Ares Management (ARES) and Goldman Sachs (GS)
MetricARESGS
Dividend Yield (TTM)3.87%2.07%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)423.77%25.88%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Goldman Sachs (GS) at 12.45 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Ares Management (ARES) at 109.82 sits above its peer range — an unusually expensive price for ARES’s trailing earnings.

ARES

Financial Services industry group

109.82

ARES
109.82
Max
45.85
Q3
24.64
Median
15.37
Q1
9.68
Min
0.16

GS

Financial Services industry group

12.45

Max
45.85
Q3
24.64
Median
15.37
GS
12.45
Q1
9.68
Min
0.16
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Ares Management (ARES) vs. Goldman Sachs (GS): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Goldman Sachs (GS) at 3.52 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Ares Management (ARES) at 8.92 sits in the pricier quartile — ARES costs more per dollar of sales.

ARES

Financial Services industry group

8.92

Max
9.23
ARES
8.92
Q3
4.57
Median
2.72
Q1
1.28
Min
-0.55

GS

Financial Services industry group

3.52

Max
9.23
Q3
4.57
GS
3.52
Median
2.72
Q1
1.28
Min
-0.55
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Ares Management (ARES) vs. Goldman Sachs (GS): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Goldman Sachs (GS) at 2.36 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Ares Management (ARES) at 12.15 prices above its benchmark range — ARES looks rich relative to book.

ARES

Financial Services industry group

12.15

ARES
12.15
Max
7.79
Q3
3.63
Median
1.57
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39

GS

Financial Services industry group

2.36

Max
7.79
Q3
3.63
GS
2.36
Median
1.57
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39
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Ares Management (ARES) vs. Goldman Sachs (GS): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Ares Management (ARES) and Goldman Sachs (GS)
MetricARESGS
P/E Ratio (TTM)109.8212.45
P/S Ratio (TTM)8.923.52
P/B Ratio (MRQ)12.152.36
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----