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ARCC vs. NLY: Ares Capital vs. Annaly Capital Management Stock Comparison

How do Ares Capital (ARCC) and Annaly Capital Management (NLY) 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 Annaly Capital Management (NLY) both fall under the Financial Services industry group, but ARCC is classified in Capital Markets while NLY is classified in Mortgage Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs).

Ares Capital (ARCC) is an ordinary operating company, while Annaly Capital Management (NLY) is a REIT — read its payout ratio and P/E alongside FFO (funds from operations) rather than comparing them directly to ARCC’s multiples.

Company profile comparison for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Annaly Capital Management (NLY)
Profile ItemARCCNLY
NameAres Capital Corp.Annaly Capital Management, Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupFinancial ServicesFinancial Services
GICS IndustryCapital MarketsMortgage Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
GICS Sub-IndustryAsset Management & Custody BanksMortgage REITs
Market Capitalization13.82 billion USD14.77 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateOctober 5, 2004October 8, 1997
Security TypeCommon StockREIT

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ARCC
NLY
GSPC
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Annaly Capital Management (NLY), 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 Annaly Capital Management (NLY). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Annaly Capital Management (NLY)
MetricARCCNLY
Total Return (1Y)5.40%-0.90%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)9.48%19.10%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)8.26%1.83%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Annaly Capital Management (NLY)
MetricARCCNLY
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)18.97%20.57%
Beta (5Y)0.591.22
Max Drawdown (5Y)-21.76%-49.57%
Avg. Volume (3M)4.45M10.28M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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ARCC and NLY 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 Annaly Capital Management (NLY)
MetricARCCNLY
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.06-0.25
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.09-0.36

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Ares Capital (ARCC) at 6.19% and Annaly Capital Management (NLY) at 7.35% 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%

NLY

Financial Services industry group

7.35%

Max
44.78%
Q3
21.85%
Median
12.91%
NLY
7.35%
Q1
4.48%
Min
-18.71%
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Annaly Capital Management (NLY): A comparison of their ROE against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Annaly Capital Management (NLY) at 80.27% keeps the most of each sales dollar — above its industry’s net margin range — and Ares Capital (ARCC) at 28.35% also retains a top-quartile 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%

NLY

Financial Services industry group

80.27%

NLY
80.27%
Max
62.84%
Q3
28.05%
Median
15.36%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Annaly Capital Management (NLY): A comparison of their net margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Ares Capital (ARCC) at 72.74% and Annaly Capital Management (NLY) at 107.33% 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%

NLY

Financial Services industry group

107.33%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Annaly Capital Management (NLY)
MetricARCCNLY
ROE (TTM)6.19%7.35%
ROA (TTM)4.78%0.84%
Net Margin (TTM)28.35%80.27%
Operating Margin (TTM)72.74%107.33%
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Annaly Capital Management (NLY) at 87.29% delivers above-range revenue growth, while Ares Capital (ARCC) at -12.08% falls into the bottom quartile — a wide split in revenue momentum.

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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Annaly Capital Management (NLY): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Annaly Capital Management (NLY) at 80.25% 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 NLY.

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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Annaly Capital Management (NLY): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Annaly Capital Management (NLY)
MetricARCCNLY
Revenue Growth (YoY)-12.08%87.29%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)26.67%4.72%
EPS Growth (YoY)-23.77%80.25%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)16.05%-9.35%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

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

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Ares Capital (ARCC) at 9.92% and Annaly Capital Management (NLY) at 15.38% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

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%

NLY

Financial Services industry group

15.38%

NLY
15.38%
Max
9.77%
Q3
3.92%
Median
1.09%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Annaly Capital Management (NLY): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Ares Capital (ARCC) at 157.38% and Annaly Capital Management (NLY) at 201.39% report payout ratio above 100%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings on both sides.

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%

NLY

Financial Services industry group

201.39%

Max
241.07%
NLY
201.39%
Q3
97.36%
Median
25.77%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Annaly Capital Management (NLY): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Annaly Capital Management (NLY)
MetricARCCNLY
Dividend Yield (TTM)9.92%15.38%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)157.38%201.39%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Ares Capital (ARCC) at 15.68 and Annaly Capital Management (NLY) at 13.02 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

NLY

Financial Services industry group

13.02

Max
45.85
Q3
24.64
Median
15.37
NLY
13.02
Q1
9.68
Min
0.16
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Annaly Capital Management (NLY): 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 Annaly Capital Management (NLY) at 10.62 clears its benchmark range — NLY 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

NLY

Financial Services industry group

10.62

NLY
10.62
Max
9.23
Q3
4.57
Median
2.72
Q1
1.28
Min
-0.55
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Annaly Capital Management (NLY): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Ares Capital (ARCC) at 0.99 and Annaly Capital Management (NLY) at 1.05 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

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

NLY

Financial Services industry group

1.05

Max
7.79
Q3
3.63
Median
1.57
NLY
1.05
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39
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Ares Capital (ARCC) vs. Annaly Capital Management (NLY): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Ares Capital (ARCC) and Annaly Capital Management (NLY)
MetricARCCNLY
P/E Ratio (TTM)15.6813.02
P/S Ratio (TTM)4.4810.62
P/B Ratio (MRQ)0.991.05
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----