Health score, competitive moat, risk signals, and key metrics at a glance.
Ares Capital Corporation is a business development company specializing in growth capital, acquisition, recapitalization, mezzanine debt, restructurings, rescue financing, and leveraged buyout transactions of middle market companies. It also makes growth capital and general refinancing. It prefers to make investments in companies engaged in sports, media & entertainment, industrials & business services, infrastructure & power, financial institution groups, software & technology, specialty healthcare, consumer, retail & services, energy and the basic and growth manufacturing, consumer products, health care products, and information technology service sectors. The fund will also consider investments in industries such as restaurants, retail, oil and gas, and technology sectors. It invests in the United States based companies. It focuses on investments in Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast and Southwest regions from its New York office, the Midwest region, from the Chicago office, and the Western region from the Los Angeles office. The fund typically invests between $30 million and $500 million, in companies with an EBITDA between $10 million and $250 million. It makes debt investments between $10 million and $100 million The fund invests through revolvers, first lien loans, warrants, unitranche structures, second lien loans, mezzanine debt, private high yield, junior capital, subordinated debt, and non-control preferred and common equity. The fund also selectively considers third-party-led senior and subordinated debt financings and opportunistically considers the purchase of stressed and discounted debt positions. The fund prefers to be an agent and/or lead the transactions in which it invests. The fund also seeks board representation in its portfolio companies.
Competitive analysis based on 15 quarters of fundamental data
Operating margins are positive at ~49.3% on average, but show some variability — pricing power may be sensitive to market conditions.
ROE is positive at ~10.4% on average, adequate but below the threshold typically associated with wide moats.
Only 1 of the last 8 quarters had positive FCF — the business may require external capital to sustain operations.
TTM revenue has grown consistently (6 of 7 quarters up), with ~9.4% growth over the period. Strong demand durability.
Data-driven red flags and warnings across 15 quarters
Margins are stable or improving at ~48.3% — no sign of cost or pricing stress.
Free cash flow has been negative in 7 of the last 8 quarters — earnings are not translating to cash.
D/E ratio is 1.1 — conservative capital structure with low financial risk.
Revenue is stable or growing over recent quarters — demand appears durable.
The last 7 consecutive quarters had negative FCF — the company is burning cash and may need external funding.
Shares outstanding increased 16.6% — significant dilution, likely from stock compensation or capital raises.
as of March 2026
Revenue, EBITDA, operating income, net income, EPS, and shares
Gross, EBITDA, operating, and net margin trends
P/E, P/S, P/B, EV/EBITDA, FCF yield, and earnings yield
Total assets, cash, debt, book value, and leverage
Operating cash flow, free cash flow, FCF margin, and earnings quality
