Is AESR or ARCC a better dividend investment in 2026?

AESR currently yields 23.33% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. ARCC yields 9.06% with 3.1% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: AESR offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between AESR and ARCC?

AESR has a forward dividend yield of 23.33% ($3.90/share annually). ARCC yields 9.06% ($1.92/share annually). The yield gap is 14.27 percentage points.

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AESR vs ARCC: Dividend Comparison 2026

AESR yields 23.33% · ARCC yields 9.06%● Live data

vsPost on X →

After 10 years · $10,000 invested · DRIP enabled

🏆 AESR wins by $45.6K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

AESR

● Live price

23.33%

Share price

$16.73

Annual div

$3.90

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$89.4K

Annual income

$9,476.31

Full AESR calculator →

ARCC

Ares Capital Corporation

● Live price

9.06%

Share price

$21.20

Annual div

$1.92

5Y div CAGR

3.1%

Payout ratio

88%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$43.8K

Annual income

$2,279.31

Full ARCC calculator →

Portfolio growth — AESR vs ARCC

📍 AESR pulled ahead of the other in Year 1

Annual dividend income

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Recession Test — Did They Cut Dividends?

How each stock treated shareholders during the 3 biggest crises of the last 20 years

Crisis Period	AESR	ARCC
2008–2009 GFC	— No data	— No data
2020 Q1–Q2 COVID	— No data	— No data
2022 Q4 Rate Hike	— No data	— No data

Based on dividend payment history. "Increased" = dividend grew during crisis. "Maintained" = held within 3%. "Cut" = reduced by more than 3%.

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Dividend Calendar Overlap

Combined, AESR + ARCC cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

AESR pays

ARCC pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

Which stock is actually better after tax? Adjust your rate to find out.

AESR

Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)

$1,983.05/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$8,054.86/yr

ARCC

Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)

$769.81/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$1,937.41/yr

At 15% tax rate, AESR beats the other by $6,117.45/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

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Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

What's the optimal mix of AESR + ARCC for your $10,000?

AESR: 50%ARCC: 50%

100% ARCC50/50100% AESR

Portfolio after 10yr

$66.6K

Annual income

$5,877.82/yr

Blended yield

8.83%

📊

Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on ARCC right now

AESR

No analyst data

ARCC

Analyst Ratings

Buy

Hold

Consensus: Buy

Price Target

$21.88

+3.2% upside vs current

Range: $21.00 — $23.00

Altman Z

0.8

Piotroski

4/9

Analyst ratings via FMP. Altman Z-Score: >3.0 safe, 1.81–3.0 grey zone, <1.81 distress. Piotroski: 7–9 strong, 0–3 weak.

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Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

AESR buys

ARCC buys

No recent congressional trades found for AESR or ARCC in the last 90 days.

STOCK Act mandates disclosure within 45 days of transaction. Data via FMP.Full tracker →

MetricAESRARCC

Forward yield	23.33% ✓	9.06%
Annual dividend / share	$3.90 ✓	$1.92
Payout ratio	50% ✓	88%
1-year div growth	0%	2% ✓
5-year div CAGR	0%	3.1% ✓
Portfolio after 10y	$89.4K ✓	$43.8K
Annual income after 10y	$9,476.31 ✓	$2,279.31
Total dividends collected	$54.8K ✓	$15.5K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	BDC

Year-by-year: AESR vs ARCC ($10,000, DRIP)

Year	AESR Portfolio	AESR Income/yr	ARCC Portfolio	ARCC Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$13,033	$2,332.99	$11,774	$933.74	+$1.3K → AESR
2	$16,787	$2,841.67	$13,808	$1,045.61	+$3.0K → AESR
3	$21,383	$3,420.73	$16,135	$1,166.34	+$5.2K → AESR
4	$26,952	$4,072.18	$18,786	$1,296.19	+$8.2K → AESR
5	$33,635	$4,796.96	$21,800	$1,435.41	+$11.8K → AESR
6	$41,585	$5,594.88	$25,215	$1,584.23	+$16.4K → AESR
7	$50,960	$6,464.65	$29,076	$1,742.84	+$21.9K → AESR
8	$61,931	$7,403.88	$33,430	$1,911.44	+$28.5K → AESR
9	$74,676	$8,409.19	$38,328	$2,090.21	+$36.3K → AESR
10	$89,379	$9,476.31	$43,827	$2,279.31	+$45.6K → AESR

AESR vs ARCC: Complete Analysis 2026

AESR — Stock

The fund is an actively managed exchange traded fund that normally invests at least 80% of its net assets, including any borrowings for investment purposes, in a diversified portfolio of ETFs that each invest at least 80% of their assets in U.S. equity securities. It may also invest in various types of derivatives, including exchange listed and over the counter futures, options, total return swaps, forwards and repurchase agreements.

Full AESR Calculator →

ARCC — BDC

Ares Capital is the largest Business Development Company by assets. It provides financing to middle market companies and pays a generous quarterly dividend plus occasional special dividends. With $21B+ in AUM and diversified exposure across industries, ARCC is the benchmark BDC for income investors.

Full ARCC Calculator →

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⚠️ Educational purposes only. Not financial advice. Congressional trades sourced from SEC STOCK Act filings via FMP. Past performance does not guarantee future results.