Ares Capital Corporation vs Marathon Digital Holdings Inc — how do they compare? Ares Capital Corporation trades at $19.87 (market cap $14.34B), while Marathon Digital Holdings Inc trades at $9.64 (market cap $3.74B). The key difference: Ares Capital Corporation is far larger — about 3.8× Marathon Digital Holdings Inc's market cap, and Ares Capital Corporation pays a 9.61% dividend while Marathon Digital Holdings Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ARCC | MARA | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $14.34B | $3.74B |
Sector | Financials | Technology |
52-Week High | $22.68 | $22.84 |
52-Week Low | $17.45 | $6.73 |
Dividend Yield | 9.61% | — |
Enterprise Value | — | $5.78B |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
ARCC trades at $19.87, down 0.55% with a bullish technical outlook supported by moving averages. The company reported $1.51B revenue and $1.30B net income for 2025, maintaining an 86.25% profit margin. Recent earnings show slight misses against expectations, but dividend coverage remains stable at 104% with a 9.9% yield. Analyst consensus is strongly bullish with 24 buy ratings and a $19.63 price target.
The stock presents income appeal with its high dividend yield and stable payout history, though recent earnings compression and rising non-accruals to 2.4% signal credit quality concerns. Private credit sector strain and potential rate cuts pose medium-term risks to net investment income, which is 71% variable-rate exposed.
MARA Holdings trades at $9.64, down 6% post-Q2 2026 results, with a bearish technical signal and negative earnings trends. The company reported a net loss of $1.31 billion in 2025, with revenue declining to $804 million in 2026. Recent news highlights a strategic pivot to AI infrastructure, but investor sentiment remains cautious amid Bitcoin mining sector weakness.
Outlook is mixed: analyst consensus targets $16.08 (67% upside), but high losses and sector volatility pose risks. The AI transition offers growth potential, yet execution challenges and persistent negative margins demand caution. Near-term pressure from missed earnings and competitive threats may limit upside.
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 →Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. is one of the largest publicly traded Bitcoin mining companies in North America. The company focuses on building and operating large-scale, cost-efficient Bitcoin mining facilities. Marathon's strategy centers on increasing its mining hash rate and using sustainable energy sources to expand its Bitcoin production. The company's performance is closely tied to the price of Bitcoin and the overall health of the digital asset mining industry.
Read more on MARA →