VCP ScannerFree US Stock Screener & Financial AnalysisFree US Stock Screener

Ares Capital Corporation (ARCC) Total Return Calculator with Dividends Reinvested

Ares Capital Corporation

Popular:

The total return for Ares Capital Corporation (ARCC) stock is +3.60% over the past 12 months. So far it's down 2.98% this year. The 5-year total return is +50.24%, meaning $10,000 invested in ARCC stock 5 years ago would be worth $15,024 today. Total return includes price appreciation plus reinvesting any dividends paid out.

If you invested $10,000 in ARCC 1 year ago, it would be worth $10,281 today — you'd have gained $281 with dividends reinvested.

With Dividends Reinvested$10,281+2.81%

Price Only (No DRIP)$9,357-6.43%

Dividend Boost+$9244 payments · +9.24% extra

Period2025-05-06 → 2026-05-05

Price

Total Return (DRIP)

Dividends

S&P 500

If You Invested $10,000 in ARCC

1Y$10,360+$360 (+3.6%)3.6% CAGR

3Y$13,789+$3,789 (+37.9%)11.3% CAGR

5Y$15,024+$5,024 (+50.2%)8.5% CAGR

10Y$24,228+$14,228 (+142.3%)9.3% CAGR

15Y$26,173+$16,173 (+161.7%)6.6% CAGR

20Y$30,145+$20,145 (+201.4%)5.7% CAGR

30Y$36,025+$26,025 (+260.3%)4.4% CAGR

Dividend Reinvestment History (4)▲ Hide

Ex-Date	Dividend	Reinvest Price	Shares Added
2025-06-13	$0.48	$21.53	+0.022294
2025-09-15	$0.48	$21.31	+0.023027
2025-12-15	$0.48	$20.31	+0.024705
2026-03-13	$0.48	$17.86	+0.028758

Loading ARCC total return...

As of 2026-05-06

Returns at a Glance

Period	Total Return	CAGR	Price Only	Div. Contrib.	$10K →
YTD	-2.98%	—	-5.33%	+2.35 pp	$9,702
1Y	+3.60%	3.60%	-5.75%	+9.35 pp	$10,360
3Y	+37.89%	11.30%	+6.26%	+31.63 pp	$13,789
5Y	+50.24%	8.48%	+1.36%	+48.87 pp	$15,024
10Y	+142.28%	9.25%	+28.23%	+114.05 pp	$24,228
15Y	+161.73%	6.62%	+14.29%	+147.43 pp	$26,173
20Y	+201.45%	5.67%	+11.85%	+189.60 pp	$30,145
30Y	+260.25%	4.36%	+28.83%	+231.42 pp	$36,025

Risk & Highlights

Best Year+83.36%2009

Worst Year-56.01%2008

Max Drawdown-24.95%2025-07-17 → 2026-03-27

Annual Returns

Year	Total Return	Price Return	Div.	S&P 500	vs S&P
2026YTD	-6.56%	-8.90%	+2.3pp	+0.41%	-7.0pp
2025	-0.27%	-8.91%	+8.6pp	+16.64%	-16.9pp
2024	+18.87%	+9.29%	+9.6pp	+24.00%	-5.1pp
2023	+18.20%	+7.86%	+10.3pp	+24.81%	-6.6pp
2022	-3.19%	-12.09%	+8.9pp	-19.95%	+16.8pp

ARCC underperformed the S&P 500 by 24.84pp over the past year (+3.60% vs +28.44%).

Loading summary...

ARCC Peers' Total Return

Accurate peer set · 10 comparable names

Name	Mkt Cap	30D Rtn	YTD Total Rtn	1Y Total Rtn	Div Contrib	3Y Total Rtn	5Y Total Rtn	10Y Total Rtn
ARCCAres Capital Corporation	$13.9B	+5.7%	-3.0%	+3.6%	+9.4pp	+37.9%	+50.2%	+142.3%
GBDCGolub Capital BDC, Inc.	$3.5B	+4.6%	+1.2%	+5.4%	+10.6pp	+38.8%	+34.3%	+60.5%
OBDCBlue Owl Capital Corporation	$6.1B	+7.9%	-2.2%	-3.0%	+10.9pp	+34.1%	+34.6%	+44.4%
TPVGTriplePoint Venture Growth BDC Corp.	$222M	+5.4%	-14.0%	+9.4%	+17.0pp	-4.6%	-23.0%	+87.5%
HTGCHercules Capital, Inc.	$3.0B	+9.2%	-9.7%	+6.4%	+11.6pp	+71.6%	+48.9%	+172.8%
PSECProspect Capital Corporation	$1.3B	+4.2%	+12.3%	-7.3%	+15.2pp	-26.2%	-25.9%	+36.4%
MAINMain Street Capital Corporation	$5.1B	+5.8%	-4.9%	+16.1%	+8.0pp	+72.7%	+78.8%	+188.5%
SLRCSLR Investment Corp.	$871M	+8.5%	+6.2%	+14.6%	+10.7pp	+47.7%	+30.0%	+75.4%
CGBDCarlyle Secured Lending, Inc.	$881M	+9.5%	-0.5%	-3.9%	+11.2pp	+28.1%	+50.2%	+49.5%
NMFCNew Mountain Finance Corporation	$828M	+4.1%	-5.3%	-0.7%	+13.1pp	+8.4%	+17.6%	+76.5%
PFLTPennantPark Floating Rate Capital Ltd.	$908M	+9.1%	+1.7%	+3.2%	+12.2pp	+20.9%	+18.7%	+78.8%

Compare:ARCC vs GBDC ARCC vs OBDC ARCC vs TPVG ARCC vs GBDC vs OBDC

About ARCC Dividend Returns

Ares Capital Corporation (ARCC) is a dividend-paying stock. When dividends are reinvested through a DRIP (Dividend Reinvestment Plan), they purchase additional shares, which then generate their own dividends—creating a compounding effect that can significantly boost long-term returns.

How We Calculate Total Return

Our total return calculator simulates dividend reinvestment (DRIP) by assuming each dividend payment is used to purchase additional shares at the closing price on the ex-dividend date. This methodology provides an accurate representation of how a dividend reinvestment plan would perform.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1What is the total return of ARCC over the past year?

Ares Capital Corporation (ARCC) delivered a total return of 3.60% over the past year when dividends are reinvested. The price-only return was -5.75%, meaning dividends contributed an additional 9.35 percentage points to total returns.

Q2How much would $10,000 invested in ARCC be worth today?

A $10,000 investment in Ares Capital Corporation one year ago would be worth $10,360 today with dividends reinvested (DRIP). Without reinvesting dividends, the same investment would be worth $9,425. Dividend reinvestment added $935 to the portfolio value.

Q3Does ARCC pay dividends?

Yes, Ares Capital Corporation (ARCC) pays dividends. In the last year, ARCC paid approximately $0.38 per share in dividends (1.98% yield). Reinvesting these dividends through a DRIP can significantly boost long-term returns — over 20+ years, dividend compounding can account for 30–50% of total returns for dividend-paying stocks.

Q4Did ARCC beat the S&P 500?

No, Ares Capital Corporation (ARCC) underperformed the S&P 500 by 24.84 percentage points over the past year. ARCC delivered a total return of 3.60%, compared to the S&P 500's 28.44%. This means a passive S&P 500 index fund outperformed ARCC by 24.84pp during this period.

Q5What is ARCC's worst drawdown?

Ares Capital Corporation (ARCC) experienced a maximum drawdown of -24.95% over the past year, declining from its peak on 2025-07-17 to its trough on 2026-03-27. The stock has not yet fully recovered to its prior peak. Maximum drawdown measures the worst peak-to-trough decline and is an important risk metric for investors.

Q6What is ARCC's long-term total return over 10, 20, or 30 years?

Here are Ares Capital Corporation (ARCC)'s long-term returns with dividends reinvested. Over 10 years, the total return is 142.3% (9.3% CAGR) — $10,000 would have grown to $24,228. Over 20 years: 201.4% total return (5.7% CAGR) — $10,000 → $30,145. Over 30 years: 260.3% total return (4.4% CAGR) — $10,000 → $36,025. Long-term investors benefit from compounding: dividends buy additional shares, which generate their own dividends, creating an exponential growth effect.

Q7What was ARCC's best and worst year?

Ares Capital Corporation's best calendar year was 2009 with a total return of 83.4%. Its worst year was 2008 with a total return of -56.0%. This range shows the volatility investors should expect — the difference between the best and worst year is 139.4 percentage points.