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ARCC vs. IBKR: Ares Capital vs. Interactive Brokers Stock Comparison

How do Ares Capital (ARCC) and Interactive Brokers (IBKR) 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 Interactive Brokers (IBKR) both belong to the Capital Markets industry, though ARCC is classified under Asset Management & Custody Banks while IBKR falls under Investment Banking & Brokerage.

Company profile comparison for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Interactive Brokers (IBKR)
Profile ItemARCCIBKR
NameAres Capital Corp.Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. Class A Common Stock
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupFinancial ServicesFinancial Services
GICS IndustryCapital MarketsCapital Markets
GICS Sub-IndustryAsset Management & Custody BanksInvestment Banking & Brokerage
Market Capitalization13.82 billion USD129.19 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNasdaq
Listing DateOctober 5, 2004May 4, 2007
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ARCC
IBKR
GSPC
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Interactive Brokers (IBKR), 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 Interactive Brokers (IBKR). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Interactive Brokers (IBKR)
MetricARCCIBKR
Total Return (1Y)5.40%11.53%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)9.48%57.15%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)8.26%34.54%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ARCC
IBKR
GSPC
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Interactive Brokers (IBKR), 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 Interactive Brokers (IBKR). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Interactive Brokers (IBKR) has an aggressive beta of 1.37, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Ares Capital (ARCC) is defensive at 0.59 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Interactive Brokers (IBKR)
MetricARCCIBKR
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)18.97%40.72%
Beta (5Y)0.591.37
Max Drawdown (5Y)-21.76%-38.66%
Avg. Volume (3M)4.45M4.24M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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ARCC and IBKR 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 Interactive Brokers (IBKR)
MetricARCCIBKR
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.060.18
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.090.26

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Interactive Brokers (IBKR) at 23.67% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Ares Capital (ARCC) at 6.19% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for IBKR.

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%

IBKR

Financial Services industry group

23.67%

Max
44.78%
IBKR
23.67%
Q3
21.85%
Median
12.91%
Q1
4.48%
Min
-18.71%
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Interactive Brokers (IBKR): 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 Interactive Brokers (IBKR) at 16.68%, 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%

IBKR

Financial Services industry group

16.68%

Max
62.84%
Q3
28.05%
IBKR
16.68%
Median
15.36%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Interactive Brokers (IBKR): A comparison of their net margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Ares Capital (ARCC) at 72.74% and Interactive Brokers (IBKR) at 77.70% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

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%

IBKR

Financial Services industry group

77.70%

Max
107.33%
IBKR
77.70%
Q3
55.90%
Median
30.09%
Q1
14.60%
Min
-44.34%
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Interactive Brokers (IBKR): A comparison of their operating margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Interactive Brokers (IBKR)
MetricARCCIBKR
ROE (TTM)6.19%23.67%
ROA (TTM)4.78%2.28%
Net Margin (TTM)28.35%16.68%
Operating Margin (TTM)72.74%77.70%
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Interactive Brokers (IBKR) at 9.73% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Ares Capital (ARCC) at -12.08% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Interactive Brokers (IBKR): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Ares Capital (ARCC) at -23.77% and Interactive Brokers (IBKR) at 28.14% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Interactive Brokers (IBKR): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Interactive Brokers (IBKR)
MetricARCCIBKR
Revenue Growth (YoY)-12.08%9.73%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)26.67%34.60%
EPS Growth (YoY)-23.77%28.14%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)16.05%33.29%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Ares Capital (ARCC) in Financial Services and Interactive Brokers (IBKR) 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 Interactive Brokers (IBKR) 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 Interactive Brokers (IBKR)
MetricARCCIBKR
Current Ratio (MRQ)----
Debt / Equity (MRQ)----
Net Debt / EBITDA----

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Interactive Brokers (IBKR) at 0.46% 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%

IBKR

Financial Services industry group

0.46%

Max
9.77%
Q3
3.92%
Median
1.09%
IBKR
0.46%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Interactive Brokers (IBKR): 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 Interactive Brokers (IBKR) reports 12.79%, 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%

IBKR

Financial Services industry group

12.79%

Max
241.07%
Q3
97.36%
Median
25.77%
IBKR
12.79%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Interactive Brokers (IBKR): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Interactive Brokers (IBKR)
MetricARCCIBKR
Dividend Yield (TTM)9.92%0.46%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)157.38%12.79%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Ares Capital (ARCC) at 15.68 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Interactive Brokers (IBKR) at 28.94 sits in the richer quartile — IBKR needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

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

IBKR

Financial Services industry group

28.94

Max
45.85
IBKR
28.94
Q3
24.64
Median
15.37
Q1
9.68
Min
0.16
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Interactive Brokers (IBKR): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Ares Capital (ARCC) at 4.48 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Interactive Brokers (IBKR) at 18.30 clears its benchmark range — IBKR looks notably rich on sales.

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

IBKR

Financial Services industry group

18.30

IBKR
18.30
Max
9.23
Q3
4.57
Median
2.72
Q1
1.28
Min
-0.55
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Interactive Brokers (IBKR): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Ares Capital (ARCC) at 0.99 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Interactive Brokers (IBKR) at 5.53 carries an above-peer premium to book — IBKR is pricier on assets.

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

IBKR

Financial Services industry group

5.53

Max
7.79
IBKR
5.53
Q3
3.63
Median
1.57
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Interactive Brokers (IBKR): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Interactive Brokers (IBKR)
MetricARCCIBKR
P/E Ratio (TTM)15.6828.94
P/S Ratio (TTM)4.4818.30
P/B Ratio (MRQ)0.995.53
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----