Ares Capital Corporation vs Digital Realty Trust, Inc. — how do they compare? Ares Capital Corporation trades at $18.75 (market cap $13.48B), while Digital Realty Trust, Inc. trades at $180 (market cap $66.75B). The key difference: Digital Realty Trust, Inc. is far larger — about 5× Ares Capital Corporation's market cap, and Ares Capital Corporation pays the higher dividend (10.22%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ARCC | DLR | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $13.48B | $66.75B |
Sector | Financials | Real Estate |
52-Week High | $23.25 | $203.91 |
52-Week Low | $17.45 | $147.93 |
Dividend Yield | 10.22% | 2.7% |
Enterprise Value | — | $84.27B |
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.
Digital Realty Trust (DLR) trades at $180.41, up 0.6% on the day, with a bearish technical signal despite strong analyst consensus. The stock shows robust fundamentals with revenue growth to $6.11B in 2025 and net income margin of 21.73%, though valuation ratios like P/E of 47.85 appear elevated. Recent news highlights a $7.8B acquisition of Blackstone's data center stake, expanding its hyperscale portfolio amid AI-driven demand.
Outlook remains positive with a consensus price target of $218.77, implying 21% upside, supported by AI infrastructure expansion. Key risks include high debt levels, execution challenges from recent deals, and interest rate sensitivity. Institutional sentiment is bullish with 60% buy ratings, but technical weakness near support at $178 warrants caution.
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 →Digital Realty owns and operates nearly 300 data centers worldwide. It has more than 35 million rentable square feet across five continents. Digital's offerings range from retail co-location, where an enterprise may rent a single cabinet and rely on Digital to provide all the accommodations, to cold shells, where hyperscale cloud service providers can simply rent much, or all, of a barren, power-connected building. In recent years, Digital Realty has de-emphasized cold shells and now primarily provides higher-level service to tenants, which outsource their related IT needs to Digital. Digital Realty has also moved more into the co-location business, increasingly serving enterprises and facilitating network connections. Digital Realty operates as a real estate investment trust.
Read more on DLR →