Price movement over the last 24 hours
Ares Capital Corporation vs Nasdaq Inc — how do they compare? Ares Capital Corporation trades at $18.77 (market cap $13.48B), while Nasdaq Inc trades at $87.79 (market cap $49.81B). The key difference: Nasdaq Inc is far larger — about 3.7× 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 | NDAQ | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $13.48B | $49.81B |
Sector | Financials | Financials |
52-Week High | $23.25 | $100.98 |
52-Week Low | $17.45 | $76.85 |
Dividend Yield | 10.22% | 1.27% |
Enterprise Value | — | $56.88B |
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.
Nasdaq (NDAQ) trades at $88.08, up 0.64% today, with a bullish technical signal and strong earnings momentum after beating EPS estimates for three consecutive quarters. Revenue grew to $8.26 billion in 2025, with net income margin expanding to 23.03%. The stock shows robust institutional support, with 61% of analysts rating it a Buy and a consensus price target of $105.60, indicating ~20% upside potential.
Outlook remains positive given Nasdaq's dominant market position and exposure to capital markets growth, though risks include high valuation multiples (P/E 26.53) and sensitivity to equity market volatility. The stock's recent strength near resistance at $89 may prompt consolidation before further gains.
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 →Founded in 1971, Nasdaq is primarily known for its equity exchange, but in addition to its market-services business (about 35% of sales), the company sells and distributes market data as well as offers Nasdaq-branded indexes to asset managers and investors through its information-services segment (30%). Nasdaq's corporate-services business (20%) offers listing services and related investor relations products to publicly traded companies and through the company's market technology group (15%), Nasdaq facilitates the exchange operations of other exchanges throughout the world and provides financial compliance services.
Read more on NDAQ →