Ares Capital Corporation vs Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. Class A Common Stock — how do they compare? Ares Capital Corporation trades at $19.98 (market cap $14.35B), while Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. Class A Common Stock trades at $356.44 (market cap $9.39B). The key difference: Ares Capital Corporation is the larger of the two by market cap, and Ares Capital Corporation pays a 9.61% dividend while Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. Class A Common Stock pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ARCC | BIO | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $14.35B | $9.39B |
Sector | Financials | Health |
52-Week High | $22.68 | $354.54 |
52-Week Low | $17.45 | $241.71 |
Dividend Yield | 9.61% | — |
Enterprise Value | — | $9.14B |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
ARCC trades at $20.01, up 1.99% today, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages but neutral oscillators. Recent earnings show Q2 2026 EPS of $0.47, slightly below the $0.4731 estimate, continuing a trend of minor misses. Revenue declined to $1.51B in 2025 from $1.7B in 2024, with net income margin at 81.77%. The stock offers a high dividend yield, with consistent payouts highlighted in recent news.
Outlook is mixed: strong analyst buy consensus (75%) and a stable dividend history support income investors, but declining revenue and tight dividend coverage pose risks. Price target consensus is $19.63, below the current price, suggesting limited upside. Macro risks in private credit, per WSJ on August 9, 2026, add caution.
BIO trades at $352.47, up 2.93% today, near its consensus price target of $350. The stock shows a bullish technical trend with strong moving average signals, though RSI levels indicate overbought conditions. Fundamentally, Q2 2026 earnings beat expectations at $2.62 EPS, but revenue remains flat at $2.58 billion in 2025. The company has returned to profitability with a net income of $759.9 million after losses in prior years, supported by a solid gross margin of 51.9%.
The outlook is cautiously optimistic with analyst consensus at Buy (53.85%), but high P/E of 43.18 suggests premium valuation. Risks include revenue stagnation and sensitivity to academic research funding. Upside is supported by positive cash flow trends and institutional accumulation, yet investors should weigh valuation against growth prospects.
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 →Bio-Rad Laboratories, headquartered in Hercules, California, develops, manufactures, and markets products and solutions for the clinical diagnostics and life sciences markets. In diagnostics (53% of sales), Bio-Rad manufactures, sells, and supports test systems and specialized quality controls for clinical laboratories. In life sciences (47% of sales), the firm develops and manufactures a range of instruments and reagents used in research, biopharmaceutical production, and food testing. The company is geographically diverse, with major markets in the Americas (42% of 2021 sales), Europe and Africa (33%), and Asia-Pacific (25%). Bio-Rad owns 37% of Sartorius AG, a laboratory and biopharmaceutical supplier.
Read more on BIO →