ARES

Ares Management is expected to report Q3 2026 earnings on October 29, with consensus estimates of $1.25 EPS (up 5% YoY) and $1.26B in revenue (up 8.9% YoY). However, the stock carries a negative Earnings ESP of -0.06% and a Zacks Rank #4, making it unlikely to beat consensus estimates. The company has beaten EPS estimates only once in the last four quarters.

Blackstone reported Q3 2026 earnings of $1.32 per share, beating estimates but declining 13% year-over-year. While the company achieved record AUM of $1.37 trillion with $63.3 billion in quarterly inflows and grew fee-related earnings 6%, segment revenues declined 3% year-over-year, reflecting a challenging operating environment.

The global private credit and alternative lending market is projected to reach USD 3.36 trillion by 2031, growing at 7.8% CAGR from a 2026 base of USD 2.31 trillion. Growth is driven by AI/data-center infrastructure debt, insurance-linked capital, and bank retrenchment, though the market faced liquidity stress in 2025-26 concentrated in retail-facing vehicles, resulting in significant redemption pressures and market capitalization losses for major managers.

Lazard (LAZ) reported $285 billion in AUM as of June 2026, up 15% year-over-year, with $7.4 billion in first-half net inflows—its strongest in nearly 20 years. The company is pursuing its goal of doubling firmwide revenue by 2030 through expansion of its Asset Management division, which now accounts for 42.1% of net revenue. Key growth drivers include the Lazard Advantage quantitative platform reaching $50 billion AUM, active ETF expansion, and strategic acquisitions including a controlling stake in Elaia Partners and the planned acquisition of Campbell Lutyens.

Ameriprise Financial authorized an additional $5.5 billion for share repurchases through September 2028, supported by strong excess capital and free cash flow generation. The company returned $1.9 billion to shareholders in H1 2026 and has returned approximately $25 billion over the past decade. However, competing capital investments in technology, AI, and business expansion raise questions about long-term sustainability of the buyback program.