Ares Capital Corporation vs Verisign, Inc. — how do they compare? Ares Capital Corporation trades at $19.86 (market cap $14.34B), while Verisign, Inc. trades at $283.67 (market cap $26.00B). The key difference: Verisign, Inc. is the larger of the two by market cap, and Ares Capital Corporation pays the higher dividend (9.61%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ARCC | VRSN | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $14.34B | $26.00B |
Sector | Financials | Technology |
52-Week High | $22.68 | $310.00 |
52-Week Low | $17.45 | $211.49 |
Dividend Yield | 9.61% | 1.13% |
Enterprise Value | — | $27.31B |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
ARCC trades at $19.98, down 0.15% on the day, with a P/E of 14.9 and P/B of 1.03. Recent quarterly earnings have consistently missed expectations, with Q2 2026 EPS of $0.47 falling short of the $0.4731 estimate. Technical indicators show a bullish moving average signal but bearish oscillators, with RSI at 78.37 suggesting overbought conditions. The company maintains a strong dividend yield of approximately 9.6% with consistent $0.48 quarterly payments.
While ARCC offers attractive income with its high dividend yield and strong analyst support (24 buy ratings), investors face risks from declining revenue trends and compressed earnings. The stock trades near consensus price targets, limiting near-term upside potential. Credit quality concerns in the private lending sector and potential interest rate sensitivity present additional headwinds for this business development company.
VeriSign (VRSN) trades at $293.34, down 0.41% with a bullish technical outlook supported by moving averages. The company reported strong Q2 2026 results with record domain registrations and 6% revenue growth, maintaining robust profit margins near 50%. Recent delegation of .web domain and AI-driven registration growth provide positive catalysts.
The stock offers 9% upside to consensus price target of $320 with 60% analyst buy ratings. Key risks include contract renewals and premium valuation at 31x P/E. Strong cash flow generation and dividend payments support shareholder returns amid stable internet infrastructure demand.
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 →Verisign is the sole authorized registry for several generic top-level domains, including the widely utilized .com and .net top-level domains. The company operates critical Internet infrastructure to support the domain name system, including operating two of the world's 13 root servers that are used to route Internet traffic. In 2018, the firm sold off its Security Services business, signalling a renewed focus on the core registry business.
Read more on VRSN →