Ares Capital Corporation vs Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund — how do they compare? Ares Capital Corporation trades at $20.01 (market cap $14.35B), while Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund trades at $84.65. The key difference: Ares Capital Corporation pays a 9.61% dividend while Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund pays none, and Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund is trading nearer its 52-week high, Ares Capital Corporation nearer its low. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ARCC | XLP | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $14.35B | — |
Sector | Financials | — |
52-Week High | $22.68 | $90.00 |
52-Week Low | $17.45 | $75.61 |
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.
XLP trades at $85.12 with minimal daily movement (+0.01%). The ETF maintains a bullish technical outlook with strong moving average signals and oversold RSI conditions. Analyst consensus is unanimously positive with 100% buy ratings. Recent news highlights consumer staples sector resilience amid market uncertainty, with Coca-Cola's strong earnings demonstrating the defensive appeal of staple goods companies.
The defensive nature of consumer staples provides stability during market volatility, though limited financial ratio data requires deeper fundamental analysis. Key risks include sector rotation away from defensive plays and macroeconomic pressures on consumer spending. The 2.6% dividend yield offers income appeal for risk-averse investors seeking market exposure.
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 →In seeking to track the performance of the index, the fund employs a replication strategy. It generally invests substantially all, but at least 95%, of its total assets in the securities comprising the index. The index includes companies that have been identified as Consumer Staples companies by the GICS®. It is non-diversified.
Read more on XLP →