AA Financial Advisors LLC Purchases 34,707 Shares of Ares Capital Corporation $ARCC

AA Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in Ares Capital Corporation (NASDAQ:ARCC) by 117.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 64,328 shares of the investment management company’s stock after purchasing an additional 34,707 shares during the period. AA Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Ares Capital were worth $1,301,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Ares Capital by 6.5% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 16,502 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $365,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Ares Capital during the first quarter valued at $273,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ares Capital by 14.5% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,835,007 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $62,824,000 after purchasing an additional 358,829 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ares Capital by 139.9% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 27,655 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $613,000 after purchasing an additional 16,128 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC bought a new position in shares of Ares Capital in the first quarter worth about $14,766,000. Institutional investors own 27.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Ares Capital from $21.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Ares Capital from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Ares Capital from $22.00 to $19.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 13th. B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Ares Capital in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on Ares Capital from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 9th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $21.38.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ares Capital

In related news, CFO Scott C. Lem purchased 5,186 shares of Ares Capital stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $19.29 per share, with a total value of $100,037.94. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 39,463 shares in the company, valued at approximately $761,241.27. The trade was a 15.13% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael Kort Schnabel acquired 12,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were bought at an average price of $19.13 per share, with a total value of $239,125.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 40,500 shares in the company, valued at $774,765. The trade was a 44.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ares Capital Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ARCC opened at $17.45 on Monday. Ares Capital Corporation has a one year low of $17.40 and a one year high of $23.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a current ratio of 1.70. The firm has a market cap of $12.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.38 and a beta of 0.59. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $19.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $19.95.

Ares Capital (NASDAQ:ARCC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The investment management company reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.50. The firm had revenue of $793.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $795.20 million. Ares Capital had a net margin of 42.56% and a return on equity of 9.89%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.55 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Ares Capital Corporation will post 2.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ares Capital Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 11.0%. Ares Capital’s dividend payout ratio is currently 103.23%.

Ares Capital Company Profile

Ares Capital Corporation (NASDAQ: ARCC) is a publicly traded business development company (BDC) that specializes in providing debt and equity financing solutions to U.S. middle-market companies. As a BDC, Ares Capital offers investors access to a diversified portfolio of tailored credit investments, including senior secured loans, unitranche financing, mezzanine debt and equity co-investments. The firm’s flexible capital structures are designed to support companies seeking growth capital, refinancing or strategic acquisitions.

Through its credit platform, Ares Capital focuses on originations, underwriting and portfolio management across a range of industries, with a particular emphasis on sectors such as healthcare, technology, industrials and business services.