Ares Capital Corporation vs iShares 20 Plus Year Treasury Bond ETF — how do they compare? Ares Capital Corporation trades at $20.01 (market cap $14.35B), while iShares 20 Plus Year Treasury Bond ETF trades at $82.31. 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 | $14.35B | — |
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 $20.01, up 1.99% today, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages but neutral oscillators. Recent earnings show Q2 2026 EPS of $0.47, slightly below the $0.4731 estimate, continuing a trend of minor misses. Revenue declined to $1.51B in 2025 from $1.7B in 2024, with net income margin at 81.77%. The stock offers a high dividend yield, with consistent payouts highlighted in recent news.
Outlook is mixed: strong analyst buy consensus (75%) and a stable dividend history support income investors, but declining revenue and tight dividend coverage pose risks. Price target consensus is $19.63, below the current price, suggesting limited upside. Macro risks in private credit, per WSJ on August 9, 2026, add caution.
TLT trades at $82.76, up 0.29% on the day, while technical indicators signal a bearish trend with moving averages showing 11 sell signals versus 2 buy signals. The ETF faces pressure from rising Treasury yields and concerns about U.S. debt levels nearing $40 trillion. Recent institutional activity includes Ferguson Shapiro LLC purchasing 37,900 shares, indicating some professional interest despite the challenging environment.
The outlook remains cautious as rising oil prices and inflation concerns continue to pressure long-term bond yields higher. Investment opportunities exist for income-focused investors through TLT's dividend payments, but risks include Federal Reserve policy uncertainty and geopolitical tensions affecting Treasury markets.
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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