Ares Capital Corporation vs Upwork Inc — how do they compare? Ares Capital Corporation trades at $19.96 (market cap $14.34B), while Upwork Inc trades at $8.37 (market cap $1.04B). The key difference: Ares Capital Corporation is far larger — about 13.8× Upwork Inc's market cap, and Ares Capital Corporation pays a 9.61% dividend while Upwork Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ARCC | UPWK | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $14.34B | $1.04B |
Sector | Financials | Industrials |
52-Week High | $22.68 | $22.11 |
52-Week Low | $17.45 | $7.84 |
Dividend Yield | 9.61% | — |
Enterprise Value | — | $806.15M |
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.
Upwork (UPWK) stock is trading at $8.385, down 14.7% on the day following Q2 2026 results. While the company beat earnings expectations with EPS of $0.41 versus $0.3424, weak forward guidance triggered the sell-off. The stock exhibits a bearish technical signal, trading near key support levels. Fundamentally, the company maintains solid profitability metrics, including a 77.21% gross margin and a P/E ratio of 10.71, but faces headwinds from declining active client counts and AI-related market shifts.
The outlook is cautious. Analyst consensus remains a 'Buy' with a $9.25 price target, suggesting potential upside from current levels. However, near-term risks are elevated due to the guidance miss, ongoing client attrition, and potential legal investigations. The stock's valuation appears reasonable, but investor confidence hinges on the company's ability to stabilize client growth and navigate the AI disruption in the freelance market.
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 →Upwork Inc is a United States-based company that operates an online marketplace that enables businesses to find and work with highly-skilled independent professionals. The develops platform for hiring and freelancing purposes. Its products offering include Upwork Basic, Upwork Plus, Upwork Business, Upwork Enterprise, and Upwork Payroll. The business generates revenue from Talent and Clients across the USA, India, the Philippines and the rest of the world. Substantial income is derived from providing services to Clients.
Read more on UPWK →