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Side-by-side financial comparison of Ares Management Corp (ARES) and PLEXUS CORP (PLXS). Click either name above to swap in a different company.

Ares Management Corp is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($1.5B vs $1.1B, roughly 1.4× PLEXUS CORP). PLEXUS CORP runs the higher net margin — 3.8% vs 3.6%, a 0.2% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, Ares Management Corp posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (19.5% vs 9.6%). Over the past eight quarters, Ares Management Corp's revenue compounded faster (45.9% CAGR vs 7.9%).

Ares Management Corporation is a global alternative investment manager operating in the credit, private equity and real estate markets. The company was founded in 1997, with additional offices across North America, Europe, and Asia.

Plex Systems, Inc. is an American software company based in Troy, Michigan. The company develops and markets the Plex Manufacturing Cloud, a software as a service (SaaS) or cloud computing ERP for manufacturing.

ARES vs PLXS — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
ARES
ARES
1.4× larger
ARES
$1.5B
$1.1B
PLXS
Growing faster (revenue YoY)
ARES
ARES
+9.9% gap
ARES
19.5%
9.6%
PLXS
Higher net margin
PLXS
PLXS
0.2% more per $
PLXS
3.8%
3.6%
ARES
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
ARES
ARES
Annualised
ARES
45.9%
7.9%
PLXS

Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q1 FY2026

Metric
ARES
ARES
PLXS
PLXS
Revenue
$1.5B
$1.1B
Net Profit
$54.2M
$41.2M
Gross Margin
9.9%
Operating Margin
13.7%
5.1%
Net Margin
3.6%
3.8%
Revenue YoY
19.5%
9.6%
Net Profit YoY
-69.4%
-19.9%
EPS (diluted)
$1.51

Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.

8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend

Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.

Revenue
ARES
ARES
PLXS
PLXS
Q1 26
$1.1B
Q4 25
$1.5B
Q3 25
$1.7B
Q2 25
$1.4B
Q1 25
$1.1B
Q4 24
$1.3B
Q3 24
$1.1B
Q2 24
$788.7M
Net Profit
ARES
ARES
PLXS
PLXS
Q1 26
$41.2M
Q4 25
$54.2M
Q3 25
$288.9M
Q2 25
$137.1M
Q1 25
$47.2M
Q4 24
$177.3M
Q3 24
$118.5M
Q2 24
$94.9M
Gross Margin
ARES
ARES
PLXS
PLXS
Q1 26
9.9%
Q4 25
Q3 25
Q2 25
Q1 25
Q4 24
Q3 24
Q2 24
Operating Margin
ARES
ARES
PLXS
PLXS
Q1 26
5.1%
Q4 25
13.7%
Q3 25
39.3%
Q2 25
21.3%
Q1 25
13.0%
Q4 24
31.8%
Q3 24
29.0%
Q2 24
40.2%
Net Margin
ARES
ARES
PLXS
PLXS
Q1 26
3.8%
Q4 25
3.6%
Q3 25
17.4%
Q2 25
10.2%
Q1 25
4.3%
Q4 24
14.1%
Q3 24
10.5%
Q2 24
12.0%
EPS (diluted)
ARES
ARES
PLXS
PLXS
Q1 26
$1.51
Q4 25
Q3 25
Q2 25
Q1 25
Q4 24
Q3 24
Q2 24

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.

Metric
ARES
ARES
PLXS
PLXS
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$248.8M
Total DebtLower is stronger
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$4.3B
$1.5B
Total Assets
$28.6B
$3.2B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
ARES
ARES
PLXS
PLXS
Q1 26
$248.8M
Q4 25
Q3 25
Q2 25
Q1 25
Q4 24
Q3 24
Q2 24
Stockholders' Equity
ARES
ARES
PLXS
PLXS
Q1 26
$1.5B
Q4 25
$4.3B
Q3 25
$4.5B
Q2 25
$4.4B
Q1 25
$4.5B
Q4 24
$3.5B
Q3 24
$2.1B
Q2 24
$2.0B
Total Assets
ARES
ARES
PLXS
PLXS
Q1 26
$3.2B
Q4 25
$28.6B
Q3 25
$27.0B
Q2 25
$27.3B
Q1 25
$27.2B
Q4 24
$24.9B
Q3 24
$24.5B
Q2 24
$24.2B

Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency

How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.

Metric
ARES
ARES
PLXS
PLXS
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$-483.7M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
-8.92×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
ARES
ARES
PLXS
PLXS
Q1 26
Q4 25
$-483.7M
Q3 25
$1.3B
Q2 25
$415.7M
Q1 25
$2.0B
Q4 24
$807.6M
Q3 24
$841.3M
Q2 24
$432.2M
Cash Conversion
ARES
ARES
PLXS
PLXS
Q1 26
Q4 25
-8.92×
Q3 25
4.64×
Q2 25
3.03×
Q1 25
42.28×
Q4 24
4.55×
Q3 24
7.10×
Q2 24
4.55×

Financial Flow Comparison

Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.

Revenue Breakdown by Segment

ARES
ARES

Management Service$991.1M66%
Management Service Incentive$206.7M14%
Carried Interest$205.4M14%
Fee Related Performance Revenues$113.3M8%

PLXS
PLXS

Asia-Pacific$612.0M57%
Americas$345.0M32%
Europe, Middle East and Africa$118.0M11%

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