Is ARCC or ICE a better dividend investment in 2026?

ARCC currently yields 9.06% with a 3.1% 5-year dividend growth rate. ICE yields 4.00% with 5% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: ARCC offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between ARCC and ICE?

ARCC has a forward dividend yield of 9.06% ($1.92/share annually). ICE yields 4.00% ($2.00/share annually). The yield gap is 5.06 percentage points.

Home › Compare › ARCC vs ICE

ARCC vs ICE: Dividend Comparison 2026

ARCC yields 9.06% · ICE yields 4.00%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 ARCC wins by $15.8K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

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 →

ICE

● Live price

4.00%

Share price

$50.00

Annual div

$2.00

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$28.0K

Annual income

$899.19

Full ICE calculator →

Portfolio growth — ARCC vs ICE

📍 ARCC 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	ARCC	ICE
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, ARCC + ICE cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

ARCC pays

ICE pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

ARCC

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

$769.81/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$1,937.41/yr

ICE

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

$340.00/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$764.31/yr

At 15% tax rate, ARCC beats the other by $1,173.10/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

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

ARCC: 50%ICE: 50%

100% ICE50/50100% ARCC

Portfolio after 10yr

$35.9K

Annual income

$1,589.26/yr

Blended yield

4.42%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

ARCC buys

ICE buys

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

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

MetricARCCICE

Forward yield	9.06% ✓	4.00%
Annual dividend / share	$1.92	$2.00 ✓
Payout ratio	88%	50% ✓
1-year div growth	2%	5% ✓
5-year div CAGR	3.1%	5% ✓
Portfolio after 10y	$43.8K ✓	$28.0K
Annual income after 10y	$2,279.31 ✓	$899.19
Total dividends collected	$15.5K ✓	$6.4K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	BDC	Financials

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

Year	ARCC Portfolio	ARCC Income/yr	ICE Portfolio	ICE Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$11,774	$933.74	$11,120	$420.00	+$654.00 → ARCC
2	$13,808	$1,045.61	$12,357	$458.31	+$1.5K → ARCC
3	$16,135	$1,166.34	$13,721	$499.76	+$2.4K → ARCC
4	$18,786	$1,296.19	$15,227	$544.58	+$3.6K → ARCC
5	$21,800	$1,435.41	$16,885	$593.02	+$4.9K → ARCC
6	$25,215	$1,584.23	$18,713	$645.34	+$6.5K → ARCC
7	$29,076	$1,742.84	$20,724	$701.81	+$8.4K → ARCC
8	$33,430	$1,911.44	$22,938	$762.73	+$10.5K → ARCC
9	$38,328	$2,090.21	$25,372	$828.41	+$13.0K → ARCC
10	$43,827	$2,279.31	$28,047	$899.19	+$15.8K → ARCC

ARCC vs ICE: Complete Analysis 2026

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 →

ICE — Financials

ICE is a dividend-paying stock. Use this calculator to estimate your future dividend income, DRIP compounding returns, and passive income potential from investing in ICE shares.

Full ICE 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.