Ares Capital Co. (NASDAQ:ARCC) Shares Acquired by Neuberger Berman Group LLC

Neuberger Berman Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Ares Capital Co. (NASDAQ:ARCC - Free Report) by 10.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 799,512 shares of the investment management company's stock after purchasing an additional 74,285 shares during the period. Neuberger Berman Group LLC owned approximately 0.12% of Ares Capital worth $17,501,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ARCC. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Ares Capital by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC now owns 19,148 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $419,000 after purchasing an additional 430 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors increased its stake in shares of Ares Capital by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 12,521 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $274,000 after buying an additional 488 shares during the period. Fiduciary Group LLC raised its holdings in Ares Capital by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Group LLC now owns 21,851 shares of the investment management company's stock valued at $478,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Ares Capital by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC now owns 56,182 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $1,230,000 after acquiring an additional 512 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Western Financial Corp CA grew its holdings in Ares Capital by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Western Financial Corp CA now owns 26,387 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $578,000 after acquiring an additional 564 shares in the last quarter. 27.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ares Capital Trading Up 1.3 %

Ares Capital stock traded up $0.26 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $20.28. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,459,978 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,011,116. The stock's fifty day moving average is $22.05 and its 200 day moving average is $21.98. Ares Capital Co. has a 1-year low of $18.26 and a 1-year high of $23.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.28 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.21.

Ares Capital (NASDAQ:ARCC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The investment management company reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.58 by ($0.03). Ares Capital had a return on equity of 11.54% and a net margin of 50.90%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Ares Capital Co. will post 2.19 EPS for the current year.

Ares Capital Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were given a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.47%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Ares Capital's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 78.37%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on ARCC. StockNews.com downgraded Ares Capital from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Ares Capital from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on Ares Capital from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Ares Capital from $23.00 to $24.50 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Ares Capital from $24.00 to $23.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $22.81.

About Ares Capital

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. It also makes growth capital and general refinancing. It prefers to make investments in companies engaged in the basic and growth manufacturing, business services, consumer products, health care products and services, and information technology service sectors.