Ares Capital Corporation vs CF Industries Holdings, Inc. — how do they compare? Ares Capital Corporation trades at $19.88 (market cap $14.34B), while CF Industries Holdings, Inc. trades at $117.52 (market cap $17.83B). The key difference: CF Industries Holdings, Inc. is the larger of the two by market cap, and Ares Capital Corporation pays the higher dividend (9.61%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ARCC | CF | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $14.34B | $17.83B |
Sector | Financials | Basic Materials |
52-Week High | $22.68 | $137.55 |
52-Week Low | $17.45 | $76.08 |
Dividend Yield | 9.61% | 2.04% |
Enterprise Value | — | $18.96B |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
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.
CF Industries Holdings (CF) trades at $117.57, down 3.25% today, with a bearish technical signal. The stock shows strong profitability with a 27.12% net margin and a low P/E of 8.74, indicating potential undervaluation. Recent Q2 2026 earnings missed estimates but revenue grew 17.6% year-over-year, supported by strong nitrogen pricing. The company maintains solid cash flow, with net cash flow turning positive to $368 million in 2025 after two years of negatives.
The outlook is mixed; robust fundamentals and a consensus price target of $119.60 suggest upside, but near-term headwinds include volatile fertilizer demand and execution risks from operational issues like the Yazoo City outage. Long-term growth is supported by tight global nitrogen supply conditions into 2027.
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 →CF Industries is a leading producer and distributor of nitrogen fertilizers. The company operates seven nitrogen facilities in North America and holds joint venture interests in further production capacity in the United Kingdom and Trinidad and Tobago. CF makes nitrogen primarily using low-cost U.S. natural gas as its feedstock, making CF one of the lowest-cost nitrogen producers globally.
Read more on CF →