Ares Capital Corporation vs Nasdaq Inc — how do they compare? Ares Capital Corporation trades at $19.81 (market cap $14.34B), while Nasdaq Inc trades at $95.05 (market cap $53.11B). 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 (9.61%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ARCC | NDAQ | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $14.34B | $53.11B |
Sector | Financials | Financials |
52-Week High | $22.68 | $100.98 |
52-Week Low | $17.45 | $76.85 |
Dividend Yield | 9.61% | 1.22% |
Enterprise Value | — | $59.57B |
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.
Nasdaq (NDAQ) trades at $95.62, up 1.09% today, with strong technical momentum and consistent earnings beats. Revenue grew to $8.26B in 2025, with net income margin expanding to 22.52%. The company announced the acquisition of LeveL Markets, advancing its always-on markets strategy, and maintains a bullish analyst consensus.
Outlook remains positive with a consensus price target of $109.20, offering ~14% upside. Risks include market volatility sensitivity and integration challenges from acquisitions. Solid profitability and strategic growth initiatives support a favorable investment case, though macroeconomic headwinds warrant monitoring.
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 →