Akamai Technologies, Inc. vs Ares Capital Corporation — how do they compare? Akamai Technologies, Inc. trades at $124.11 (market cap $16.77B), while Ares Capital Corporation trades at $19.81 (market cap $14.34B). The key difference: Akamai Technologies, Inc. is the larger of the two by market cap, and Ares Capital Corporation pays a 9.61% dividend while Akamai Technologies, Inc. pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AKAM | ARCC | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $16.77B | $14.34B |
Sector | Technology | Financials |
52-Week High | $161.14 | $22.68 |
52-Week Low | $71.97 | $17.45 |
Enterprise Value | $22.75B | — |
Dividend Yield | — | 9.61% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Akamai Technologies (AKAM) trades at $117.65, up 6.43% on the day, buoyed by a recent analyst upgrade. The stock shows bearish technical signals but has beaten earnings estimates for three consecutive quarters, with Q2 2026 revenue growth of 5% year-over-year. Profit margins are under pressure due to increased infrastructure investments, though cloud and security demand remains strong.
The outlook is mixed: solid revenue growth and a consensus price target of $150.11 suggest upside, but margin compression and bearish technicals pose risks. Investors should weigh the company's strategic positioning in AI and cybersecurity against profitability challenges and market volatility.
ARCC trades at $19.98, down 0.15% on the day, with a P/E of 14.9 and P/B of 1.03. Recent quarterly earnings have consistently missed expectations, with Q2 2026 EPS of $0.47 falling short of the $0.4731 estimate. Technical indicators show a bullish moving average signal but bearish oscillators, with RSI at 78.37 suggesting overbought conditions. The company maintains a strong dividend yield of approximately 9.6% with consistent $0.48 quarterly payments.
While ARCC offers attractive income with its high dividend yield and strong analyst support (24 buy ratings), investors face risks from declining revenue trends and compressed earnings. The stock trades near consensus price targets, limiting near-term upside potential. Credit quality concerns in the private lending sector and potential interest rate sensitivity present additional headwinds for this business development company.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
Akamai operates a content delivery network, or CDN, which entails locating servers at the edges of networks so its customers, which store content on Akamai servers, can reach their own customers faster, more securely, and with better quality. Akamai has over 325,000 servers distributed over 4,000 points of presence in more than 1,000 cities worldwide. Its customers generally include media companies, which stream video content or make video games available for download, and other enterprises that run interactive or high-traffic websites, such as e-commerce firms and financial institutions. Akamai also has a significant security business, which is integrated with its core web and media businesses to protect its customers from cyberthreats.
Read more on AKAM →Ares Capital Corp is a United States-based closed-ended specialty finance company. Its investment objective is to generate both current income and capital appreciation through debt and equity investments. The company focuses on investing primarily in U.S. middle-market companies with investment opportunities as well as in larger companies. Its portfolio comprises of first lien senior secured loans, second lien senior secured loans, and mezzanine debt (subordinated unsecured loan), which may include equity components that are diversified by industry and sector. The company may invest in preferred and common equity investments to a lesser proportion. Its revenue mainly consists of interest and dividend income received from the investment made.
Read more on ARCC →