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ARCC vs. EQH: Ares Capital vs. Equitable Stock Comparison

How do Ares Capital (ARCC) and Equitable (EQH) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Ares Capital (ARCC) and Equitable (EQH) both fall under the Financial Services industry group, but ARCC is classified in Capital Markets while EQH is classified in Financial Services.

Company profile comparison for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Equitable (EQH)
Profile ItemARCCEQH
NameAres Capital Corp.Equitable Holdings Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupFinancial ServicesFinancial Services
GICS IndustryCapital MarketsFinancial Services
GICS Sub-IndustryAsset Management & Custody BanksDiversified Financial Services
Market Capitalization13.82 billion USD14.04 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateOctober 5, 2004May 10, 2018
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ARCC
EQH
GSPC
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Equitable (EQH), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Equitable (EQH). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Equitable (EQH). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Equitable (EQH)
MetricARCCEQH
Total Return (1Y)5.40%26.35%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)9.48%32.07%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)8.26%12.88%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ARCC
EQH
GSPC
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Equitable (EQH), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Equitable (EQH). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Equitable (EQH)
MetricARCCEQH
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)18.97%33.44%
Beta (5Y)0.591.04
Max Drawdown (5Y)-21.76%-35.85%
Avg. Volume (3M)4.45M2.71M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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ARCC and EQH are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Equitable (EQH)
MetricARCCEQH
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.060.66
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.090.94

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Equitable (EQH) at 171.08% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Ares Capital (ARCC) at 6.19%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

ARCC

Financial Services industry group

6.19%

Max
44.78%
Q3
21.85%
Median
12.91%
ARCC
6.19%
Q1
4.48%
Min
-18.71%

EQH

Financial Services industry group

171.08%

EQH
171.08%
Max
44.78%
Q3
21.85%
Median
12.91%
Q1
4.48%
Min
-18.71%
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Equitable (EQH): A comparison of their ROE against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Ares Capital (ARCC) at 28.35% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Equitable (EQH) at 11.52%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

ARCC

Financial Services industry group

28.35%

Max
62.84%
ARCC
28.35%
Q3
28.05%
Median
15.36%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%

EQH

Financial Services industry group

11.52%

Max
62.84%
Q3
28.05%
Median
15.36%
EQH
11.52%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Equitable (EQH): A comparison of their net margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Ares Capital (ARCC) at 72.74% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Equitable (EQH) at 37.18%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

ARCC

Financial Services industry group

72.74%

Max
107.33%
ARCC
72.74%
Q3
55.90%
Median
30.09%
Q1
14.60%
Min
-44.34%

EQH

Financial Services industry group

37.18%

Max
107.33%
Q3
55.90%
EQH
37.18%
Median
30.09%
Q1
14.60%
Min
-44.34%
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Equitable (EQH): A comparison of their operating margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Equitable (EQH)
MetricARCCEQH
ROE (TTM)6.19%171.08%
ROA (TTM)4.78%0.45%
Net Margin (TTM)28.35%11.52%
Operating Margin (TTM)72.74%37.18%
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Ares Capital (ARCC) at -12.08% and Equitable (EQH) at -6.12% post bottom-quartile revenue growth versus peers, pointing to weaker demand or pricing momentum than typical rivals.

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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Equitable (EQH): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Ares Capital (ARCC) at -23.77% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Equitable (EQH) at -227.78% falls below its industry range, a notably weak earnings reading.

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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Equitable (EQH): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Equitable (EQH)
MetricARCCEQH
Revenue Growth (YoY)-12.08%-6.12%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)26.67%-2.65%
EPS Growth (YoY)-23.77%-227.78%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)16.05%--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Ares Capital (ARCC) in Financial Services and Equitable (EQH) in Financial Services both report balance sheets without a current/non-current split, so their short-term liquidity is better judged through regulatory and funding measures.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

debt-to-equity ratio is set aside for both: Ares Capital (ARCC) in Financial Services and Equitable (EQH) in Financial Services run businesses where balance-sheet leverage is part of the model, so capital-adequacy and funding measures are the better gauges of balance-sheet risk.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Equitable (EQH)
MetricARCCEQH
Current Ratio (MRQ)----
Debt / Equity (MRQ)----
Net Debt / EBITDA----

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Equitable (EQH) at 0.51% pays an industry-typical yield; Ares Capital (ARCC) at 9.92% is above its entire peer range — the higher number, but one that calls for a look at payout sustainability before treating it as an advantage.

ARCC

Financial Services industry group

9.92%

ARCC
9.92%
Max
9.77%
Q3
3.92%
Median
1.09%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

EQH

Financial Services industry group

0.51%

Max
9.77%
Q3
3.92%
Median
1.09%
EQH
0.51%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Equitable (EQH): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Ares Capital (ARCC) reports payout ratio above 100% at 157.38%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile Equitable (EQH) reports 22.49%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ARCC

Financial Services industry group

157.38%

Max
241.07%
ARCC
157.38%
Q3
97.36%
Median
25.77%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

EQH

Financial Services industry group

22.49%

Max
241.07%
Q3
97.36%
Median
25.77%
EQH
22.49%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Equitable (EQH): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Equitable (EQH)
MetricARCCEQH
Dividend Yield (TTM)9.92%0.51%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)157.38%22.49%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Ares Capital (ARCC) at 15.68 and Equitable (EQH) at 10.39 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

ARCC

Financial Services industry group

15.68

Max
45.85
Q3
24.64
ARCC
15.68
Median
15.37
Q1
9.68
Min
0.16

EQH

Financial Services industry group

10.39

Max
45.85
Q3
24.64
Median
15.37
EQH
10.39
Q1
9.68
Min
0.16
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Equitable (EQH): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Equitable (EQH) at 1.08 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Ares Capital (ARCC) at 4.48 prices around its industry’s middle — EQH costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

ARCC

Financial Services industry group

4.48

Max
9.23
Q3
4.57
ARCC
4.48
Median
2.72
Q1
1.28
Min
-0.55

EQH

Financial Services industry group

1.08

Max
9.23
Q3
4.57
Median
2.72
Q1
1.28
EQH
1.08
Min
-0.55
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Equitable (EQH): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Equitable (EQH) reports a negative P/B ratio of -4.92, meaning negative book equity — the multiple itself is not meaningful for valuation. Meanwhile Ares Capital (ARCC) reports 0.99, ranking against industry peers normally.

ARCC

Financial Services industry group

0.99

Max
7.79
Q3
3.63
Median
1.57
ARCC
0.99
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39

EQH

Financial Services industry group

-4.92

Max
7.79
Q3
3.63
Median
1.57
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39
EQH
-4.92
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Equitable (EQH): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Equitable (EQH)
MetricARCCEQH
P/E Ratio (TTM)15.6810.39
P/S Ratio (TTM)4.481.08
P/B Ratio (MRQ)0.99-4.92
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----