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ARCC vs. NDAQ: Ares Capital vs. Nasdaq Stock Comparison

How do Ares Capital (ARCC) and Nasdaq (NDAQ) 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 Nasdaq (NDAQ) both belong to the Capital Markets industry, though ARCC is classified under Asset Management & Custody Banks while NDAQ falls under Financial Exchanges & Data.

Company profile comparison for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Nasdaq (NDAQ)
Profile ItemARCCNDAQ
NameAres Capital Corp.Nasdaq, Inc. Common Stock
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupFinancial ServicesFinancial Services
GICS IndustryCapital MarketsCapital Markets
GICS Sub-IndustryAsset Management & Custody BanksFinancial Exchanges & Data
Market Capitalization13.82 billion USD59.88 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNasdaq
Listing DateOctober 5, 2004July 1, 2002
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ARCC
NDAQ
GSPC
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Nasdaq (NDAQ), 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 Nasdaq (NDAQ). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Nasdaq (NDAQ)
MetricARCCNDAQ
Total Return (1Y)5.40%26.55%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)9.48%30.18%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)8.26%10.68%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Nasdaq (NDAQ)
MetricARCCNDAQ
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)18.97%28.74%
Beta (5Y)0.590.94
Max Drawdown (5Y)-21.76%-32.57%
Avg. Volume (3M)4.45M3.13M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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ARCC and NDAQ 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 Nasdaq (NDAQ)
MetricARCCNDAQ
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.060.77
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.091.09

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Ares Capital (ARCC) at 6.19% and Nasdaq (NDAQ) at 17.33% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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%

NDAQ

Financial Services industry group

17.33%

Max
44.78%
Q3
21.85%
NDAQ
17.33%
Median
12.91%
Q1
4.48%
Min
-18.71%
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Nasdaq (NDAQ): A comparison of their ROE against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Ares Capital (ARCC) at 28.35% and Nasdaq (NDAQ) at 36.06% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

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%

NDAQ

Financial Services industry group

36.06%

Max
62.84%
NDAQ
36.06%
Q3
28.05%
Median
15.36%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Nasdaq (NDAQ): 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 Nasdaq (NDAQ) at 50.57%, 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%

NDAQ

Financial Services industry group

50.57%

Max
107.33%
Q3
55.90%
NDAQ
50.57%
Median
30.09%
Q1
14.60%
Min
-44.34%
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Nasdaq (NDAQ): A comparison of their operating margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Nasdaq (NDAQ)
MetricARCCNDAQ
ROE (TTM)6.19%17.33%
ROA (TTM)4.78%6.10%
Net Margin (TTM)28.35%36.06%
Operating Margin (TTM)72.74%50.57%
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Nasdaq (NDAQ) at 11.65% 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. Nasdaq (NDAQ): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Nasdaq (NDAQ) at 60.10% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Ares Capital (ARCC) at -23.77% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for NDAQ.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Nasdaq (NDAQ)
MetricARCCNDAQ
Revenue Growth (YoY)-12.08%11.65%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)26.67%9.89%
EPS Growth (YoY)-23.77%60.10%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)16.05%10.99%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

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

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Nasdaq (NDAQ) at 1.09% 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%

NDAQ

Financial Services industry group

1.09%

Max
9.77%
Q3
3.92%
Median
1.09%
NDAQ
1.09%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Nasdaq (NDAQ): 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 Nasdaq (NDAQ) reports 31.69%, 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%

NDAQ

Financial Services industry group

31.69%

Max
241.07%
Q3
97.36%
NDAQ
31.69%
Median
25.77%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Nasdaq (NDAQ): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Nasdaq (NDAQ)
MetricARCCNDAQ
Dividend Yield (TTM)9.92%1.09%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)157.38%31.69%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Ares Capital (ARCC) at 15.68 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Nasdaq (NDAQ) at 29.27 sits in the richer quartile — NDAQ 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

NDAQ

Financial Services industry group

29.27

Max
45.85
NDAQ
29.27
Q3
24.64
Median
15.37
Q1
9.68
Min
0.16
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Nasdaq (NDAQ): 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 Nasdaq (NDAQ) at 10.36 clears its benchmark range — NDAQ 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

NDAQ

Financial Services industry group

10.36

NDAQ
10.36
Max
9.23
Q3
4.57
Median
2.72
Q1
1.28
Min
-0.55
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Nasdaq (NDAQ): 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 Nasdaq (NDAQ) at 4.99 carries an above-peer premium to book — NDAQ 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

NDAQ

Financial Services industry group

4.99

Max
7.79
NDAQ
4.99
Q3
3.63
Median
1.57
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Nasdaq (NDAQ): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Nasdaq (NDAQ)
MetricARCCNDAQ
P/E Ratio (TTM)15.6829.27
P/S Ratio (TTM)4.4810.36
P/B Ratio (MRQ)0.994.99
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----