Ares Capital Corporation vs Nokia Corp — how do they compare? Ares Capital Corporation trades at $19.88 (market cap $14.34B), while Nokia Corp trades at $10.29 (market cap $53.00B). The key difference: Nokia Corp 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 | NOK | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $14.34B | $53.00B |
Sector | Financials | Technology |
52-Week High | $22.68 | $16.83 |
52-Week Low | $17.45 | $4.13 |
Dividend Yield | 9.61% | 1.73% |
Enterprise Value | — | $50.95B |
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.
Nokia (NOK) trades at $10.315, up 13.1% on the day, reflecting positive momentum. The stock shows mixed technical signals with a bearish overall trend but neutral oscillators. Fundamentally, revenue was $19.89B in 2025 with a net income margin of 3.47%, while the P/E ratio of 68.07 suggests a premium valuation. Recent earnings have been mixed, with a beat in Q2 2026 but a miss in Q1 2026. News highlights focus on AI infrastructure growth driving demand.
The outlook is cautiously optimistic, supported by strong analyst buy consensus (59.61%) and AI-driven demand tailwinds. However, risks include competitive pressures in telecom, volatility in cash flows, and the high P/E ratio indicating stretched valuations. Investment appeal hinges on successful execution in AI and cloud segments offsetting traditional market challenges.
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 →Nokia is a leading vendor in the telecommunications equipment industry. The company's network business derives revenue from selling wireless and fixed-line hardware, software, and services. Nokia's technology segment licenses its patent portfolio to handset manufacturers and makes royalties from Nokia-branded cellphones. The company, headquartered in Espoo, Finland, operates on a global scale, with most of its revenue from communication service providers.
Read more on NOK →