Ares Capital Corporation vs Franklin Resources, Inc. — how do they compare? Ares Capital Corporation trades at $18.75 (market cap $13.48B), while Franklin Resources, Inc. trades at $33.57 (market cap $17.41B). The key difference: Franklin Resources, Inc. is the larger of the two by market cap, and Ares Capital Corporation pays the higher dividend (10.22%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ARCC | BEN | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $13.48B | $17.41B |
Sector | Financials | Financials |
52-Week High | $23.25 | $34.44 |
52-Week Low | $17.45 | $21.18 |
Dividend Yield | 10.22% | 3.94% |
Enterprise Value | — | $29.23B |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Ares Capital (ARCC) trades at $18.78, up 2.01% on the day, with a bearish technical signal but strong analyst support. The stock shows a P/E of 11.52 and P/B of 0.96, trading below the consensus price target of $20.58. Recent earnings have missed expectations, with Q2 2026 results pending, while revenue declined to $1.51B in 2025 from $1.7B in 2024. A dividend of $0.48 is scheduled for payment on June 30, 2026, supporting income appeal amid mixed sentiment.
ARCC presents a value opportunity with a high dividend yield and undervaluation relative to analyst targets, but faces headwinds from earnings misses and a bearish technical outlook. Risks include revenue volatility and competitive pressures in the BDC space, though institutional buy ratings suggest confidence in recovery potential. Investors should weigh income stability against growth challenges.
Franklin Resources (BEN) trades at $33.50, down 0.53% on the day, with a bullish technical outlook from moving averages and a consensus price target of $34.17. The company reported Q1 2026 EPS of $0.71, beating expectations of $0.55, and maintains strong profitability with an 80.72% gross margin. Recent news highlights its inclusion in dividend stock lists and a Zacks upgrade to Strong Buy on June 23, 2026, amid steady asset growth to $1.79 trillion AUM in June.
BEN presents a mixed outlook with solid earnings beats and dividend appeal offset by weak cash flow trends and modest growth. Upside is supported by analyst optimism and technical momentum, but risks include net cash outflows and competitive pressures in asset management. The stock's valuation at a P/E of 25.57 requires sustained earnings growth to justify further gains.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
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 →Franklin Resources provides investment services for individual and institutional investors. At the end of August 2022, Franklin had $1.388 trillion in managed assets, composed primarily of equity (32%), fixed-income (38%), multi-asset/balanced (10%) funds, alternatives (16%), and money market funds (4%). Distribution tends to be weighted more toward retail investors (49% of AUM) investors, as opposed to institutional (49%) and high-net-worth (2%) clients. Franklin is also one of the more global firms of the U.S.-based asset managers with more than 35% of its AUM invested in global/international strategies and 25% of managed assets sourced from clients domiciled outside the United States.
Read more on BEN →