Ares Capital Corporation vs Super Micro Computer Inc — how do they compare? Ares Capital Corporation trades at $19.78 (market cap $14.34B), while Super Micro Computer Inc trades at $35.82 (market cap $20.44B). The key difference: Super Micro Computer Inc is the larger of the two by market cap, and Ares Capital Corporation pays a 9.61% dividend while Super Micro Computer Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ARCC | SMCI | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $14.34B | $20.44B |
Sector | Financials | Technology |
52-Week High | $22.68 | $58.68 |
52-Week Low | $17.45 | $20.53 |
Dividend Yield | 9.61% | — |
Enterprise Value | — | $27.96B |
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.
Super Micro Computer (SMCI) trades at $36.75, up 16.85% on strong Q4 2026 earnings, beating EPS estimates with $1.70 actual versus $0.92 expected. The stock shows bullish technical signals with moving averages supporting upward momentum, while RSI indicates potential overbought conditions. Revenue surged 93% year-over-year to $11.1 billion in Q4, though slightly below the $11.6 billion consensus, with robust FY2027 guidance of $65–72 billion revenue highlighting AI-driven demand.
Outlook remains positive due to AI infrastructure growth and earnings beats, but risks include supply chain delays and high valuation multiples. Analysts maintain a $40.40 consensus target with 36% buy ratings. Investors should weigh strong cash flow and margin expansion against competitive pressures and macroeconomic volatility.
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 →Super Micro Computer, Inc., commonly known as Supermicro, is a leading provider of high-performance and high-efficiency server technology and innovation. The company specializes in designing, manufacturing, and selling advanced server, storage, and networking solutions, primarily for data centers, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and 5G/Edge computing markets. SMCI's modular architecture allows for the rapid delivery of customized and purpose-built solutions, making it a key player in the enterprise computing and specialized AI infrastructure space.
Read more on SMCI →