ARCC Analyst Ratings
Ares Capital Corporation (ARCC) operates in the Financial Services sector, specifically the Asset Management industry, with a market capitalization near $13.48B, listed on NASDAQ, employing roughly 1,200 people, carrying a beta of 0.63 to the broader market. Ares Capital Corporation is a business development company specializing in acquisition, recapitalization, mezzanine debt, restructurings, rescue financing, and leveraged buyout transactions of middle market companies. Led by Kort Schnabel, public since 2004-10-05.
Consensus: Mixed from 0 analysts.
Price Targets
- Average Target
- $21.88
- High
- $24.00
- Low
- $20.00
Recent Upgrades & Downgrades
| Date | Firm | Action | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 29, 2026 | RBC Capital | maintain | Outperform | Outperform |
| Apr 29, 2026 | Truist Securities | maintain | Buy | Buy |
| Apr 22, 2026 | Citizens | maintain | Market Outperform | Market Outperform |
| Apr 16, 2026 | Keefe, Bruyette & Woods | maintain | Outperform | Outperform |
| Mar 13, 2026 | JP Morgan | maintain | Overweight | Overweight |
How to Read ARCC Analyst Coverage
Sell-side equity analysts publish three primary outputs: ratings (Strong Buy / Buy / Hold / Sell / Strong Sell, or firm-specific equivalents), price targets, and EPS / revenue estimate revisions. Rating consensus moves slowly relative to price; it reflects 12-month directional conviction rather than near-term momentum. Price targets are more responsive but typically drift behind realized price during sharp moves. The most actionable signal for options traders is a cluster of ratings actions across multiple firms within a short window, which compresses or expands implied volatility on a horizon of days to weeks and shifts the put-call skew toward the directional consensus. The recent-actions table above shows the five most recent firm-level changes; longer histories live behind aggregator sources.
For event-driven options sizing, pair the consensus rating and target distribution with the implied-volatility surface and dealer-positioning view. Aggressive target hikes from multiple firms tend to tighten put skew (downside protection becomes relatively cheaper); aggressive cuts widen put skew. The size of the IV response in the hours after a rating change is visible on the per-ticker volatility skew page and the gamma-exposure page, both of which show how dealer hedging propagates the analyst-driven flow into the listed options chain.
Learn how analyst ratings is reported and how to read the data →
Frequently asked ARCC analyst ratings questions
- What is the ARCC consensus price target?
- As of the latest aggregator update, Ares Capital Corporation (ARCC) carries a consensus 12-month price target of $21.88. Target ranges run from a low of $20.00 to a high of $24.00. The target is the average of the price targets published by sell-side equity analysts covering the name.
- What is the analyst rating consensus on ARCC?
- Analyst rating consensus is not currently available for ARCC.
- What recent ratings actions has ARCC seen?
- The five most recent ratings actions on ARCC appear on the page above. Sell-side rating changes are watched for two reasons: an upgrade or downgrade with a meaningful target revision moves the consensus and can trigger short-term positioning shifts, and the firm-level rating cluster (multiple firms moving in the same direction within a short window) is a clearer signal than any single action. Options markets often price the implied-vol response within minutes of the announcement.
- How do analyst targets affect ARCC options pricing?
- Analyst target revisions tend to be priced in by the lit options market within minutes of publication, but persistent target drift over weeks does correlate with implied-volatility movement. Aggressive target hikes from multiple firms inside a single quarter tighten put skew (downside protection becomes cheaper relative to upside speculation); aggressive cuts widen put skew. The most actionable read is the implied-vol response in the hours after a target change, which is visible on the per-ticker volatility skew page.