Ares Capital Corporation vs iShares 20 Plus Year Treasury Bond ETF — how do they compare? Ares Capital Corporation trades at $19.88 (market cap $14.34B), while iShares 20 Plus Year Treasury Bond ETF trades at $82.18. The key difference: Ares Capital Corporation pays a 9.61% dividend while iShares 20 Plus Year Treasury Bond ETF pays none, and Ares Capital Corporation is trading nearer its 52-week high, iShares 20 Plus Year Treasury Bond ETF nearer its low. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ARCC | TLT | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $14.34B | — |
Sector | Financials | — |
52-Week High | $22.68 | $92.06 |
52-Week Low | $17.45 | $82.05 |
Dividend Yield | 9.61% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
ARCC trades at $19.875, down 0.53% on the day, with strong analyst support showing 24 buy ratings and a consensus price target of $19.63. The stock maintains a bullish technical signal with moving averages supporting upward momentum, though oscillators indicate some near-term pressure. Recent earnings showed Q2 2026 EPS of $0.47, slightly below expectations, while the company continues its 17-year dividend streak with consistent $0.48 quarterly payments.
The outlook remains positive with solid fundamentals including 81.77% net income margin and 6.88% ROE, though investors should monitor declining revenue trends from $1.7B in 2024 to projected $1.2B in 2026. Key risks include private credit market strain and dividend coverage tightening to 104%, while institutional confidence remains high with no sell ratings among 32 analysts covering the stock.
TLT, the iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF, trades at $82.29 with a slight 0.3% daily gain amid bearish technical signals. The ETF faces pressure from rising long-term Treasury yields, with the 30-year yield recently hitting 5.24% (The Motley Fool, 2026-08-02). Institutional interest persists as Ferguson Shapiro LLC acquired 37,900 shares (Defense World, 2026-08-10), but outflows and U.S. debt nearing $40 trillion weigh on sentiment.
Outlook remains cautious as higher yields and inflation concerns challenge TLT's performance. Opportunities exist for income-focused investors given dividend payments, but risks include Fed rate hike potential and escalating geopolitical tensions driving oil prices higher. The bearish technical setup suggests continued pressure unless bond market sentiment improves.
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 →The fund will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of the underlying index, and it will invest at least 90% of its assets in US Treasury securities that the advisor believes will help the fund track the underlying index. The underlying index measures the performance of public obligations of the US Treasury that have a remaining maturity greater than or equal to twenty years.
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