Ares Capital Corporation vs YieldMax Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs — how do they compare? Ares Capital Corporation trades at $18.88 (market cap $13.48B), while YieldMax Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs trades at $7.85. The key difference: Ares Capital Corporation pays a 10.22% dividend while YieldMax Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs pays none, and Ares Capital Corporation is trading nearer its 52-week high, YieldMax Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs nearer its low. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ARCC | YMAX | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $13.48B | — |
Sector | Financials | Income / Options Overlay |
52-Week High | $23.25 | $14.00 |
52-Week Low | $17.45 | $7.51 |
Dividend Yield | 10.22% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Ares Capital (ARCC) trades at $18.78, up 2.01% on the day, with a bearish technical signal but strong analyst support. The stock shows a P/E of 11.52 and P/B of 0.96, trading below the consensus price target of $20.58. Recent earnings have missed expectations, with Q2 2026 results pending, while revenue declined to $1.51B in 2025 from $1.7B in 2024. A dividend of $0.48 is scheduled for payment on June 30, 2026, supporting income appeal amid mixed sentiment.
ARCC presents a value opportunity with a high dividend yield and undervaluation relative to analyst targets, but faces headwinds from earnings misses and a bearish technical outlook. Risks include revenue volatility and competitive pressures in the BDC space, though institutional buy ratings suggest confidence in recovery potential. Investors should weigh income stability against growth challenges.
YMAX trades at $7.92, down 0.75% today, with technical indicators showing a neutral to bearish bias. The ETF maintains a consistent weekly dividend distribution strategy, though key valuation and profitability metrics remain unavailable. Recent news highlights the fund's focus on generating income through covered call strategies on a portfolio of YieldMax ETFs.
The outlook centers on YMAX's high distribution yield strategy, which faces headwinds from the bearish moving average signal and market volatility dependence. Investment appeal lies in income generation, but risks include the fund's complex options strategy and expense ratio of 1.33%, with most distributions representing return of capital rather than earnings.
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 →YMAX is an actively managed 'fund of funds' that provides equal-weighted exposure to the full suite of YieldMax option income ETFs. It is designed to generate high current income by aggregating the premiums from various single-stock and thematic covered call strategies, offering a diversified approach to high-yield option investing.
Read more on YMAX →