Ares Capital Corporation vs Trade Desk Inc — how do they compare? Ares Capital Corporation trades at $19.98 (market cap $14.35B), while Trade Desk Inc trades at $13.54 (market cap $6.29B). The key difference: Ares Capital Corporation is far larger — about 2.3× Trade Desk Inc's market cap, and Ares Capital Corporation pays a 9.61% dividend while Trade Desk Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ARCC | TTD | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $14.35B | $6.29B |
Sector | Financials | Technology |
52-Week High | $22.68 | $55.36 |
52-Week Low | $17.45 | $13.39 |
Dividend Yield | 9.61% | — |
Enterprise Value | — | $5.24B |
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.
The Trade Desk (TTD) is trading at $13.80, down 21.9% in 24 hours and near 7-year lows following disappointing Q2 earnings. Revenue grew just 3% to $715 million, missing guidance, while Q3 guidance projects a 12% decline. Technical indicators show bearish momentum with support at $13 and resistance at $15. Despite strong profitability metrics including 76.9% gross margins, recent execution gaps and advertiser pressure have triggered multiple analyst downgrades.
The outlook remains challenging with near-term revenue headwinds and competitive pressures. While valuation appears reasonable at 16.4x P/E, the stock faces significant execution risks and sentiment deterioration. Recovery depends on stabilizing advertiser relationships and reversing recent market share losses in the ad-tech sector.
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 Trade Desk Inc is engaged in providing a technology platform for ad buyers. Through its cloud-based platform ad buyers can create, manage, and optimize data-driven digital advertising campaigns across ad formats and channels, including display, video, audio, in-app, native and social, on a multitude of devices. Its products include Data Management Platform, Cross-Device Targeting, Video Advertising, Mobile Advertising, and others.
Read more on TTD →