Ares Capital Corporation vs Vanguard Real Estate Index Fund ETF — how do they compare? Ares Capital Corporation trades at $19.87 (market cap $14.34B), while Vanguard Real Estate Index Fund ETF trades at $97.15. The key difference: Ares Capital Corporation pays a 9.61% dividend while Vanguard Real Estate Index Fund ETF pays none, and Vanguard Real Estate Index Fund ETF is trading nearer its 52-week high, Ares Capital Corporation nearer its low. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ARCC | VNQ | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $14.34B | — |
Sector | Financials | — |
52-Week High | $22.68 | $100.95 |
52-Week Low | $17.45 | $87.00 |
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.
VNQ (Vanguard Real Estate ETF) trades at $96.745, down 0.38% on the day amid a bearish technical signal. The ETF shows mixed momentum with oversold short-term RSI readings but bearish moving averages. Recent institutional selling activity from firms like Bank of America and City Holding Co. indicates cautious positioning in the real estate sector. The fund's dividend yield remains a key attraction for income-focused investors.
The outlook for VNQ is challenged by rising interest rate sensitivity and institutional outflows, though the oversold RSI suggests potential for near-term stabilization. Investors should weigh the ETF's low expense ratio and U.S. REIT diversification against sector-specific headwinds including commercial real estate pressures and economic uncertainty.
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 employs an indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the MSCI US Investable Market Real Estate 25/50 Index, an index made up of stocks of large, mid-size, and small US companies within the real estate sector. The Advisor attempts to replicate the target index by seeking to invest all of its assets in the stocks that make up the index, in order to hold each stock in approximately the same proportion as its weighting in the index. It is non-diversified.
Read more on VNQ →