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

WATSCO INC is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($1.6B vs $1.5B, roughly 1.0× Ares Management Corp). WATSCO INC runs the higher net margin — 4.5% vs 3.6%, a 0.9% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, Ares Management Corp posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (19.5% vs -10.0%). Over the past eight quarters, Ares Management Corp's revenue compounded faster (45.9% CAGR vs 0.4%).

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.

Watsco, Inc. is a distributor of air conditioning, heating and refrigeration equipment, and related parts and supplies (HVAC/R) in the United States. Watsco was founded more than 60 years ago as a manufacturer of parts, components, and tools used in the HVAC/R industry. In 1989, the company shifted from manufacturing to distribution, by acquiring Gemaire Distributors Inc., a South Florida-based Rheem distributor.

ARES vs WSO — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
WSO
WSO
1.0× larger
WSO
$1.6B
$1.5B
ARES
Growing faster (revenue YoY)
ARES
ARES
+29.5% gap
ARES
19.5%
-10.0%
WSO
Higher net margin
WSO
WSO
0.9% more per $
WSO
4.5%
3.6%
ARES
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
ARES
ARES
Annualised
ARES
45.9%
0.4%
WSO

Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q4 FY2025

Metric
ARES
ARES
WSO
WSO
Revenue
$1.5B
$1.6B
Net Profit
$54.2M
$71.7M
Gross Margin
27.1%
Operating Margin
13.7%
6.4%
Net Margin
3.6%
4.5%
Revenue YoY
19.5%
-10.0%
Net Profit YoY
-69.4%
-25.9%
EPS (diluted)
$1.82

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
WSO
WSO
Q4 25
$1.5B
$1.6B
Q3 25
$1.7B
$2.1B
Q2 25
$1.4B
$2.1B
Q1 25
$1.1B
$1.5B
Q4 24
$1.3B
$1.8B
Q3 24
$1.1B
$2.2B
Q2 24
$788.7M
$2.1B
Q1 24
$707.4M
$1.6B
Net Profit
ARES
ARES
WSO
WSO
Q4 25
$54.2M
$71.7M
Q3 25
$288.9M
$161.6M
Q2 25
$137.1M
$183.6M
Q1 25
$47.2M
$80.1M
Q4 24
$177.3M
$96.8M
Q3 24
$118.5M
$171.0M
Q2 24
$94.9M
$181.4M
Q1 24
$73.0M
$87.0M
Gross Margin
ARES
ARES
WSO
WSO
Q4 25
27.1%
Q3 25
27.5%
Q2 25
29.3%
Q1 25
28.1%
Q4 24
26.7%
Q3 24
26.2%
Q2 24
27.1%
Q1 24
27.5%
Operating Margin
ARES
ARES
WSO
WSO
Q4 25
13.7%
6.4%
Q3 25
39.3%
11.4%
Q2 25
21.3%
13.2%
Q1 25
13.0%
7.3%
Q4 24
31.8%
7.8%
Q3 24
29.0%
11.6%
Q2 24
40.2%
12.6%
Q1 24
32.7%
8.1%
Net Margin
ARES
ARES
WSO
WSO
Q4 25
3.6%
4.5%
Q3 25
17.4%
7.8%
Q2 25
10.2%
8.9%
Q1 25
4.3%
5.2%
Q4 24
14.1%
5.5%
Q3 24
10.5%
7.9%
Q2 24
12.0%
8.5%
Q1 24
10.3%
5.6%
EPS (diluted)
ARES
ARES
WSO
WSO
Q4 25
$1.82
Q3 25
$3.98
Q2 25
$4.52
Q1 25
$1.93
Q4 24
$2.42
Q3 24
$4.22
Q2 24
$4.49
Q1 24
$2.17

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

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

Metric
ARES
ARES
WSO
WSO
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$733.3M
Total DebtLower is stronger
$361.6M
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$4.3B
$2.8B
Total Assets
$28.6B
$4.4B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage
0.13×

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
ARES
ARES
WSO
WSO
Q4 25
$733.3M
Q3 25
$524.3M
Q2 25
$293.0M
Q1 25
$431.8M
Q4 24
$781.9M
Q3 24
$550.0M
Q2 24
$424.9M
Q1 24
$478.9M
Total Debt
ARES
ARES
WSO
WSO
Q4 25
$361.6M
Q3 25
$340.8M
Q2 25
$338.7M
Q1 25
$346.4M
Q4 24
$337.2M
Q3 24
$321.0M
Q2 24
$307.1M
Q1 24
$306.3M
Stockholders' Equity
ARES
ARES
WSO
WSO
Q4 25
$4.3B
$2.8B
Q3 25
$4.5B
$2.8B
Q2 25
$4.4B
$2.8B
Q1 25
$4.5B
$2.7B
Q4 24
$3.5B
$2.7B
Q3 24
$2.1B
$2.7B
Q2 24
$2.0B
$2.6B
Q1 24
$1.8B
$2.5B
Total Assets
ARES
ARES
WSO
WSO
Q4 25
$28.6B
$4.4B
Q3 25
$27.0B
$4.6B
Q2 25
$27.3B
$4.7B
Q1 25
$27.2B
$4.5B
Q4 24
$24.9B
$4.5B
Q3 24
$24.5B
$4.5B
Q2 24
$24.2B
$4.4B
Q1 24
$24.4B
$4.4B
Debt / Equity
ARES
ARES
WSO
WSO
Q4 25
0.13×
Q3 25
0.12×
Q2 25
0.12×
Q1 25
0.13×
Q4 24
0.13×
Q3 24
0.12×
Q2 24
0.12×
Q1 24
0.12×

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
WSO
WSO
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$-483.7M
$399.8M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$388.5M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
24.6%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
0.7%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
-8.92×
5.57×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$535.1M

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
ARES
ARES
WSO
WSO
Q4 25
$-483.7M
$399.8M
Q3 25
$1.3B
$354.9M
Q2 25
$415.7M
$-7.4M
Q1 25
$2.0B
$-177.6M
Q4 24
$807.6M
$378.9M
Q3 24
$841.3M
$232.8M
Q2 24
$432.2M
$57.7M
Q1 24
$710.0M
$103.7M
Free Cash Flow
ARES
ARES
WSO
WSO
Q4 25
$388.5M
Q3 25
$346.1M
Q2 25
$-14.3M
Q1 25
$-185.2M
Q4 24
$370.9M
Q3 24
$223.0M
Q2 24
$51.3M
Q1 24
$97.9M
FCF Margin
ARES
ARES
WSO
WSO
Q4 25
24.6%
Q3 25
16.7%
Q2 25
-0.7%
Q1 25
-12.1%
Q4 24
21.1%
Q3 24
10.3%
Q2 24
2.4%
Q1 24
6.3%
Capex Intensity
ARES
ARES
WSO
WSO
Q4 25
0.7%
Q3 25
0.4%
Q2 25
0.3%
Q1 25
0.5%
Q4 24
0.5%
Q3 24
0.5%
Q2 24
0.3%
Q1 24
0.4%
Cash Conversion
ARES
ARES
WSO
WSO
Q4 25
-8.92×
5.57×
Q3 25
4.64×
2.20×
Q2 25
3.03×
-0.04×
Q1 25
42.28×
-2.22×
Q4 24
4.55×
3.91×
Q3 24
7.10×
1.36×
Q2 24
4.55×
0.32×
Q1 24
9.72×
1.19×

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%

WSO
WSO

Segment breakdown not available.

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