Is CIRC or ARCC a better dividend investment in 2026?

CIRC currently yields 3.84% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. ARCC yields 9.06% with 3.1% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: ARCC offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between CIRC and ARCC?

CIRC has a forward dividend yield of 3.84% ($2.00/share annually). ARCC yields 9.06% ($1.92/share annually). The yield gap is 5.22 percentage points.

Home › Compare › CIRC vs ARCC

CIRC vs ARCC: Dividend Comparison 2026

CIRC yields 3.84% · ARCC yields 9.06%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 ARCC wins by $18.2K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

CIRC

● Live price

3.84%

Share price

$52.11

Annual div

$2.00

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$25.7K

Annual income

$491.11

Full CIRC 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 — CIRC vs ARCC

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

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

CIRC pays

ARCC pays

Both pay

Neither

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Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

CIRC

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

$326.23/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$417.44/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, ARCC beats the other by $1,519.97/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 CIRC + ARCC for your $10,000?

CIRC: 50%ARCC: 50%

100% ARCC50/50100% CIRC

Portfolio after 10yr

$34.7K

Annual income

$1,385.22/yr

Blended yield

3.99%

📊

Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on ARCC right now

CIRC

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)

CIRC buys

ARCC buys

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

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

MetricCIRCARCC

Forward yield	3.84%	9.06% ✓
Annual dividend / share	$2.00 ✓	$1.92
Payout ratio	50% ✓	88%
1-year div growth	0%	2% ✓
5-year div CAGR	0%	3.1% ✓
Portfolio after 10y	$25.7K	$43.8K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$491.11	$2,279.31 ✓
Total dividends collected	$4.4K	$15.5K ✓
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	BDC

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

Year	CIRC Portfolio	CIRC Income/yr	ARCC Portfolio	ARCC Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$11,084	$383.80	$11,774	$933.74	$690.00 → ARCC
2	$12,257	$397.57	$13,808	$1,045.61	$1.6K → ARCC
3	$13,526	$410.90	$16,135	$1,166.34	$2.6K → ARCC
4	$14,897	$423.77	$18,786	$1,296.19	$3.9K → ARCC
5	$16,376	$436.18	$21,800	$1,435.41	$5.4K → ARCC
6	$17,970	$448.12	$25,215	$1,584.23	$7.2K → ARCC
7	$19,688	$459.58	$29,076	$1,742.84	$9.4K → ARCC
8	$21,536	$470.56	$33,430	$1,911.44	$11.9K → ARCC
9	$23,525	$481.07	$38,328	$2,090.21	$14.8K → ARCC
10	$25,663	$491.11	$43,827	$2,279.31	$18.2K → ARCC

CIRC vs ARCC: Complete Analysis 2026

CIRC — Stock

The fund invests primarily in common stocks, depositary receipts and real estate investment trusts (REITs). The fund is not managed to an index and may invest in equity securities in both U.S. and foreign markets, including emerging markets. The fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in small capitalization companies and have significant positions in specific sectors or markets from time to time. It is non-diversified.

Full CIRC 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.