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Ares Capital (ARCC) Competitors

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$19.20 +0.07 (+0.37%)
Closing price 09/25/2026 04:00 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$19.16 -0.04 (-0.23%)
As of 09/25/2026 07:49 PM Eastern
Extended trading is trading that happens on electronic markets outside of regular trading hours. This is a fair market value extended hours price provided by Massive. Learn more.

ARCC vs. CSWC, GBDC, ARES, EPD, and FSK

Should you buy Ares Capital stock or one of its competitors? Ares Capital's main competitors and comparable companies include Capital Southwest (CSWC), Golub Capital BDC (GBDC), Ares Management (ARES), Enterprise Products Partners (EPD), and FS KKR Capital (FSK). Companies are selected based on similarities in market, industry, and size.

How does Ares Capital compare to Capital Southwest?

Capital Southwest (NASDAQ:CSWC) and Ares Capital (NASDAQ:ARCC) are both finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, profitability, dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations, earnings and media sentiment.

Capital Southwest has a net margin of 46.68% compared to Ares Capital's net margin of 30.91%. Capital Southwest's return on equity of 13.88% beat Ares Capital's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Capital Southwest46.68% 13.88% 6.45%
Ares Capital 30.91%9.80%4.50%

Capital Southwest has a beta of 0.7, indicating that its share price is 30% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Ares Capital has a beta of 0.57, indicating that its share price is 43% less volatile than the broader market.

Capital Southwest currently has a consensus target price of $23.60, indicating a potential upside of 2.03%. Ares Capital has a consensus target price of $20.60, indicating a potential upside of 7.29%. Given Ares Capital's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Ares Capital is more favorable than Capital Southwest.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Capital Southwest
0 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
6 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.67
Ares Capital
0 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
8 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.73

Capital Southwest pays an annual dividend of $2.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 10.0%. Ares Capital pays an annual dividend of $1.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 10.0%. Capital Southwest pays out 128.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Ares Capital pays out 142.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Capital Southwest has raised its dividend for 2 consecutive years. Capital Southwest is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

23.4% of Capital Southwest shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 27.4% of Ares Capital shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.7% of Capital Southwest shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.5% of Ares Capital shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Ares Capital has higher revenue and earnings than Capital Southwest. Capital Southwest is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Ares Capital, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Capital Southwest$232.10M6.35$113M$1.8112.78
Ares Capital$3.05B4.52$1.30B$1.3514.22

In the previous week, Ares Capital had 4 more articles in the media than Capital Southwest. MarketBeat recorded 8 mentions for Ares Capital and 4 mentions for Capital Southwest. Capital Southwest's average media sentiment score of 0.69 beat Ares Capital's score of 0.08 indicating that Capital Southwest is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Capital Southwest
1 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Ares Capital
1 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
3 Negative mention(s)
1 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral

Summary

Capital Southwest beats Ares Capital on 11 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Ares Capital compare to Golub Capital BDC?

Ares Capital (NASDAQ:ARCC) and Golub Capital BDC (NASDAQ:GBDC) are both finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, media sentiment, valuation, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, risk and dividends.

In the previous week, Ares Capital had 4 more articles in the media than Golub Capital BDC. MarketBeat recorded 8 mentions for Ares Capital and 4 mentions for Golub Capital BDC. Golub Capital BDC's average media sentiment score of 0.98 beat Ares Capital's score of 0.08 indicating that Golub Capital BDC is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Ares Capital
1 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
3 Negative mention(s)
1 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
Golub Capital BDC
2 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Ares Capital pays an annual dividend of $1.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 10.0%. Golub Capital BDC pays an annual dividend of $1.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 10.6%. Ares Capital pays out 142.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Golub Capital BDC pays out 203.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future.

27.4% of Ares Capital shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 42.4% of Golub Capital BDC shares are held by institutional investors. 0.5% of Ares Capital shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.4% of Golub Capital BDC shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Ares Capital has a beta of 0.57, suggesting that its share price is 43% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Golub Capital BDC has a beta of 0.39, suggesting that its share price is 61% less volatile than the broader market.

Ares Capital has higher revenue and earnings than Golub Capital BDC. Ares Capital is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Golub Capital BDC, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Ares Capital$3.05B4.52$1.30B$1.3514.22
Golub Capital BDC$870.78M3.72$376.65M$0.6519.17

Ares Capital has a net margin of 30.91% compared to Golub Capital BDC's net margin of 21.45%. Golub Capital BDC's return on equity of 9.91% beat Ares Capital's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Ares Capital30.91% 9.80% 4.50%
Golub Capital BDC 21.45%9.91%4.39%

Ares Capital currently has a consensus price target of $20.60, suggesting a potential upside of 7.29%. Golub Capital BDC has a consensus price target of $13.90, suggesting a potential upside of 11.56%. Given Golub Capital BDC's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Golub Capital BDC is more favorable than Ares Capital.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Ares Capital
0 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
8 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.73
Golub Capital BDC
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.86

Summary

Ares Capital beats Golub Capital BDC on 10 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Ares Capital compare to Ares Management?

Ares Capital (NASDAQ:ARCC) and Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) are both large-cap finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, dividends, media sentiment, risk, institutional ownership, profitability, valuation and earnings.

Ares Capital has a beta of 0.57, suggesting that its stock price is 43% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Ares Management has a beta of 1.49, suggesting that its stock price is 49% more volatile than the broader market.

In the previous week, Ares Management had 2 more articles in the media than Ares Capital. MarketBeat recorded 10 mentions for Ares Management and 8 mentions for Ares Capital. Ares Management's average media sentiment score of 0.53 beat Ares Capital's score of 0.08 indicating that Ares Management is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Ares Capital
1 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
3 Negative mention(s)
1 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
Ares Management
2 Very Positive mention(s)
3 Positive mention(s)
4 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Ares Capital currently has a consensus price target of $20.60, indicating a potential upside of 7.29%. Ares Management has a consensus price target of $159.81, indicating a potential upside of 30.87%. Given Ares Management's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Ares Management is more favorable than Ares Capital.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Ares Capital
0 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
8 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.73
Ares Management
0 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
12 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.74

Ares Capital pays an annual dividend of $1.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 10.0%. Ares Management pays an annual dividend of $5.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.4%. Ares Capital pays out 142.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Ares Management pays out 247.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Ares Management has increased its dividend for 7 consecutive years. Ares Capital is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Ares Capital has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Ares Management. Ares Capital is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Ares Management, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Ares Capital$3.05B4.52$1.30B$1.3514.22
Ares Management$5.99B6.74$527.36M$2.1856.02

27.4% of Ares Capital shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 50.0% of Ares Management shares are held by institutional investors. 0.5% of Ares Capital shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 34.7% of Ares Management shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Ares Capital has a net margin of 30.91% compared to Ares Management's net margin of 10.63%. Ares Management's return on equity of 25.42% beat Ares Capital's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Ares Capital30.91% 9.80% 4.50%
Ares Management 10.63%25.42%6.35%

Summary

Ares Management beats Ares Capital on 16 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Ares Capital compare to Enterprise Products Partners?

Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE:EPD) and Ares Capital (NASDAQ:ARCC) are related large-cap companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, media sentiment, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, profitability, valuation, earnings and risk.

Enterprise Products Partners has a beta of 0.5, indicating that its stock price is 50% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Ares Capital has a beta of 0.57, indicating that its stock price is 43% less volatile than the broader market.

Ares Capital has a net margin of 30.91% compared to Enterprise Products Partners' net margin of 10.79%. Enterprise Products Partners' return on equity of 20.67% beat Ares Capital's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Enterprise Products Partners10.79% 20.67% 7.93%
Ares Capital 30.91%9.80%4.50%

In the previous week, Enterprise Products Partners had 14 more articles in the media than Ares Capital. MarketBeat recorded 22 mentions for Enterprise Products Partners and 8 mentions for Ares Capital. Enterprise Products Partners' average media sentiment score of 0.44 beat Ares Capital's score of 0.08 indicating that Enterprise Products Partners is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Enterprise Products Partners
5 Very Positive mention(s)
5 Positive mention(s)
7 Neutral mention(s)
2 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
Ares Capital
1 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
3 Negative mention(s)
1 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral

26.1% of Enterprise Products Partners shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 27.4% of Ares Capital shares are owned by institutional investors. 32.6% of Enterprise Products Partners shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.5% of Ares Capital shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Enterprise Products Partners pays an annual dividend of $2.24 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.1%. Ares Capital pays an annual dividend of $1.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 10.0%. Enterprise Products Partners pays out 77.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Ares Capital pays out 142.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Enterprise Products Partners has raised its dividend for 28 consecutive years.

Enterprise Products Partners currently has a consensus target price of $40.12, suggesting a potential upside of 8.65%. Ares Capital has a consensus target price of $20.60, suggesting a potential upside of 7.29%. Given Enterprise Products Partners' higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe Enterprise Products Partners is more favorable than Ares Capital.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Enterprise Products Partners
1 Sell rating(s)
10 Hold rating(s)
6 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.39
Ares Capital
0 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
8 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.73

Enterprise Products Partners has higher revenue and earnings than Ares Capital. Enterprise Products Partners is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Ares Capital, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Enterprise Products Partners$52.60B1.52$5.81B$2.8812.82
Ares Capital$3.05B4.52$1.30B$1.3514.22

Summary

Enterprise Products Partners beats Ares Capital on 12 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Ares Capital compare to FS KKR Capital?

Ares Capital (NASDAQ:ARCC) and FS KKR Capital (NYSE:FSK) are both finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, dividends, institutional ownership, valuation, analyst recommendations, media sentiment, profitability and earnings.

Ares Capital pays an annual dividend of $1.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 10.0%. FS KKR Capital pays an annual dividend of $1.76 per share and has a dividend yield of 15.7%. Ares Capital pays out 142.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. FS KKR Capital pays out -130.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. FS KKR Capital is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Ares Capital has a beta of 0.57, indicating that its stock price is 43% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, FS KKR Capital has a beta of 0.83, indicating that its stock price is 17% less volatile than the broader market.

27.4% of Ares Capital shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 36.3% of FS KKR Capital shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.5% of Ares Capital shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of FS KKR Capital shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Ares Capital has a net margin of 30.91% compared to FS KKR Capital's net margin of -28.52%. Ares Capital's return on equity of 9.80% beat FS KKR Capital's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Ares Capital30.91% 9.80% 4.50%
FS KKR Capital -28.52%9.70%4.14%

Ares Capital has higher revenue and earnings than FS KKR Capital. FS KKR Capital is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Ares Capital, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Ares Capital$3.05B4.52$1.30B$1.3514.22
FS KKR Capital$1.52B2.05$11M-$1.35N/A

Ares Capital presently has a consensus target price of $20.60, indicating a potential upside of 7.29%. FS KKR Capital has a consensus target price of $11.43, indicating a potential upside of 1.63%. Given Ares Capital's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe Ares Capital is more favorable than FS KKR Capital.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Ares Capital
0 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
8 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.73
FS KKR Capital
1 Sell rating(s)
7 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1.88

In the previous week, Ares Capital had 5 more articles in the media than FS KKR Capital. MarketBeat recorded 8 mentions for Ares Capital and 3 mentions for FS KKR Capital. FS KKR Capital's average media sentiment score of 0.45 beat Ares Capital's score of 0.08 indicating that FS KKR Capital is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Ares Capital
1 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
3 Negative mention(s)
1 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
FS KKR Capital
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral

Summary

Ares Capital beats FS KKR Capital on 13 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

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New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding ARCC and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.
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Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of NASDAQ and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.
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ARCC vs. The Competition

MetricAres CapitalCapital Markets IndustryFinance SectorNASDAQ Exchange
Market Cap$13.74B$5.25B$13.60B$13.12B
Dividend Yield10.04%7.53%5.99%13.50%
P/E Ratio14.2229.3524.5725.78
Price / Sales4.521,218.14505.7584.19
Price / Cash9.5347.8850.3252.93
Price / Book0.963.502.716.30
Net Income$1.30B$417.50M$1.32B$360.35M
7 Day Performance-1.03%-0.14%-0.52%-0.23%
1 Month Performance-3.52%-2.32%-1.84%-3.87%
1 Year Performance-6.16%4.52%8.98%5.38%

Ares Capital Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
ARCC
Ares Capital
3.0376 of 5 stars
$19.20
+0.4%
$20.60
+7.3%
-6.6%$13.74B$3.05B14.224,250
CSWC
Capital Southwest
2.7005 of 5 stars
$23.60
-1.1%
$23.60
+2.7%$1.52B$232.10M13.0436
GBDC
Golub Capital BDC
3.3026 of 5 stars
$12.45
+0.2%
$13.90
+11.6%
-9.4%$3.23B$870.78M19.15N/A
ARES
Ares Management
4.7417 of 5 stars
$124.37
-3.7%
$160.47
+29.0%
-25.2%$42.64B$5.60B57.054,250
EPD
Enterprise Products Partners
4.3174 of 5 stars
$38.11
-1.8%
$39.87
+4.6%
+16.9%$83.81B$52.60B13.238,000

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This page (NASDAQ:ARCC) was last updated on 9/26/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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