Ares Capital Corporation vs Conagra Brands Inc — how do they compare? Ares Capital Corporation trades at $20.01 (market cap $14.35B), while Conagra Brands Inc trades at $14.93 (market cap $7.07B). The key difference: Ares Capital Corporation is far larger — about 2× Conagra Brands Inc's market cap, and Ares Capital Corporation pays the higher dividend (9.61%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ARCC | CAG | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $14.35B | $7.07B |
Sector | Financials | Consumer Staples |
52-Week High | $22.68 | $20.02 |
52-Week Low | $17.45 | $12.58 |
Dividend Yield | 9.61% | 8.29% |
Enterprise Value | — | $14.12B |
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.
Conagra Brands (CAG) trades at $15.11, up 1.75% today, with a mixed technical picture showing bullish moving averages but neutral oscillators. Fundamentally, the company reported strong 2025 results with $11.6B revenue and $1.15B net income, but faces challenges with negative margins projected for 2026. Recent developments include a 50% dividend cut to $0.18 and new leadership appointments under CEO John Brase, who recently purchased 35,000 shares.
The outlook remains cautious despite attractive valuation metrics (P/E 10.06, P/S 0.64). While analyst consensus leans Hold (62.5%), the stock trades above the $13.67 target. Key risks include persistent inflation pressure, declining sales, and margin compression. The dividend reduction provides financial flexibility but signals ongoing turnaround challenges.
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 →Conagra Brands is a packaged food company that operates predominantly in the United States (over 90% of revenue and profits). It has a significant presence in the freezer aisle, with brands such as Marie Callender's, Healthy Choice, Banquet, and Birds Eye. Other popular brands include Duncan Hines, Hunt's, Slim Jim, Vlasic, Orville Redenbacher's, Reddi-wip, Wish-Bone, and Chef Boyardee. While the majority of revenue is sold into the U.S. retail channel, 9% of fiscal 2022 sales were to the food-service channel, down from 11% in fiscal 2019 due to the pandemic.
Read more on CAG →