Ares Capital Corporation (ARCC) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.48 on March 31st

Ares Capital Corporation (NASDAQ:ARCC) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, February 4th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of 0.48 per share by the investment management company on Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th.

Ares Capital has raised its dividend payment by an average of 0.0%annually over the last three years. Ares Capital has a payout ratio of 96.0% indicating that its dividend is currently covered by earnings, but may not be in the future if the company’s earnings fall. Research analysts expect Ares Capital to earn $2.17 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.92 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 88.5%.

Ares Capital Trading Down 3.9%

NASDAQ ARCC opened at $18.79 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $13.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.10 and a beta of 0.59. Ares Capital has a fifty-two week low of $18.26 and a fifty-two week high of $23.63. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $20.41 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $20.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 2.20 and a current ratio of 2.20.

Ares Capital (NASDAQ:ARCC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The investment management company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.50. The company had revenue of $793.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $795.20 million. Ares Capital had a return on equity of 9.94% and a net margin of 42.56%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.55 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Ares Capital will post 2.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Key Headlines Impacting Ares Capital

Here are the key news stories impacting Ares Capital this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ares declared a quarterly dividend of $0.48 (annualized yield ~9.8%), reinforcing its high-income profile that attracts yield-focused investors. Dividend Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Management signaled record originations of $15.8B for 2025 and said dividend stability is being maintained — a supportive operational update for future income generation. Originations Article
• Positive Sentiment: Core metrics: Q4 total investment income rose and core earnings roughly matched/edged past consensus (reported EPS ~$0.50–$0.517 depending on source), which lifted the stock on the report. Earnings Reaction
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and transcripts (earnings call, slide deck) provide transparency on portfolio performance and exit activity; useful for modeling but not an immediate catalyst. Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector note: Ares BDC says its software loan book remains healthy despite AI-related concerns — alleviates a potential sector-specific credit worry. Loan Book Article
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo reduced its price target from $21 to $20 (keeps an overweight rating). The cut narrows analyst upside and may have contributed to selling pressure. Wells Fargo Note
• Negative Sentiment: Despite income strength, headline revenue narrowly missed consensus and headline EPS was roughly flat year-over-year, which can prompt profit-taking by traders after the initial post-earnings pop. Revenue Miss Article

Ares Capital Company Profile

Ares Capital Corporation (NASDAQ: ARCC) is a publicly traded business development company (BDC) that specializes in providing debt and equity financing solutions to U.S. middle-market companies. As a BDC, Ares Capital offers investors access to a diversified portfolio of tailored credit investments, including senior secured loans, unitranche financing, mezzanine debt and equity co-investments. The firm’s flexible capital structures are designed to support companies seeking growth capital, refinancing or strategic acquisitions.

Through its credit platform, Ares Capital focuses on originations, underwriting and portfolio management across a range of industries, with a particular emphasis on sectors such as healthcare, technology, industrials and business services.