HomeCompareCMS vs ARES

CMS vs ARES: Dividend Comparison 2026

CMS yields 2.83% · ARES yields 4.37%● Live data

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After 10 years · $10,000 invested · DRIP enabled
🏆 ARES wins by $2929.58M in total portfolio value
10 years
CMS
CMS
● Live price
2.83%
Share price
$77.58
Annual div
$2.20
5Y div CAGR
34.6%
Payout ratio
50%
After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP
Portfolio value
$61.4K
Annual income
$13,480.75
Full CMS calculator →
ARES
ARES
● Live price
4.37%
Share price
$107.66
Annual div
$4.71
5Y div CAGR
100%
Payout ratio
50%
After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP
Portfolio value
$2929.64M
Annual income
$2,806,406,662.94
Full ARES calculator →

Portfolio growth — CMS vs ARES

📍 ARES 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 PeriodCMSARES
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%.
📅

Dividend Calendar Overlap

Combined, CMS + ARES cover 0 of 12 monthsgood coverage

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
CMS pays
ARES pays
Both pay
Neither
💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

CMS
Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)
$240.77/yr
After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)
$11,458.64/yr
ARES
Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)
$371.87/yr
After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)
$2,385,445,663.50/yr
At 15% tax rate, ARES beats the other by $2,385,434,204.86/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000
⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

What's the optimal mix of CMS + ARES for your $10,000?

CMS: 50%ARES: 50%
100% ARES50/50100% CMS
Portfolio after 10yr
$1464.85M
Annual income
$1,403,210,071.85/yr
Blended yield
95.79%
📊

Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is split right now

CMS
Analyst Ratings
17
Buy
12
Hold
Consensus: Buy
Price Target
$79.63
+2.6% upside vs current
Range: $77.00 — $82.00
Altman Z
0.9
Piotroski
7/9
ARES
Analyst Ratings
1
Strong
15
Buy
5
Hold
Consensus: Buy
Price Target
$179.25
+66.5% upside vs current
Range: $148.00 — $215.00
Altman Z
1.5
Piotroski
7/9
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.
🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

CMS buys
0
ARES buys
0
No recent congressional trades found for CMS or ARES in the last 90 days.
STOCK Act mandates disclosure within 45 days of transaction. Data via FMP.Full tracker →
MetricCMSARES
Forward yield2.83%4.37%
Annual dividend / share$2.20$4.71
Payout ratio50%50%
1-year div growth0%0%
5-year div CAGR34.6%100%
Portfolio after 10y$61.4K$2929.64M
Annual income after 10y$13,480.75$2,806,406,662.94
Total dividends collected$36.7K$2920.90M
Payment frequencyquarterlyquarterly
SectorUtilitiesStock
Analyst consensusBuyBuy
Analyst price target$79.63$179.25

Year-by-year: CMS vs ARES ($10,000, DRIP)

YearCMS PortfolioCMS Income/yrARES PortfolioARES Income/yrGap
1← crossover$11,081$381.26$11,575$874.98$494.00ARES
2$12,388$531.47$14,278$1,893.05$1.9KARES
3$14,003$747.42$19,643$4,364.80$5.6KARES
4$16,046$1,062.75$32,241$11,223.63$16.2KARES
5$18,701$1,531.92$68,932$34,434.38$50.2KARES
6$22,256$2,245.94$211,368$137,610.38$189.1KARES
7$27,176$3,362.34$1,014,866$788,702.55$987.7KARES
8$34,243$5,164.70$8,164,206$7,078,299.39$8.13MARES
9$44,827$8,186.38$115,169,668$106,433,966.79$115.12MARES
10$61,446$13,480.75$2,929,638,207$2,806,406,662.94$2929.58MARES

CMS vs ARES: Complete Analysis 2026

CMSUtilities

CMS Energy Corporation operates as an energy company primarily in Michigan. The company operates through three segments: Electric Utility; Gas Utility; and Enterprises. The Electric Utility segment is involved in the generation, purchase, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity. This segment generates electricity through coal, wind, gas, renewable energy, oil, and nuclear sources. Its distribution system comprises 208 miles of high-voltage distribution overhead lines; 4 miles of high-voltage distribution underground lines; 4,428 miles of high-voltage distribution overhead lines; 19 miles of high-voltage distribution underground lines; 82,474 miles of electric distribution overhead lines; 9,395 miles of underground distribution lines; 1,093 substations; and 3 battery facilities. The Gas Utility segment engages in the purchase, transmission, storage, distribution, and sale of natural gas, which includes 2,392 miles of transmission lines; 15 gas storage fields; 28,065 miles of distribution mains; and 8 compressor stations. The Enterprises segment is involved in the independent power production and marketing, including the development and operation of renewable generation. It serves 1.9 million electric and 1.8 million gas customers, including residential, commercial, and diversified industrial customers. The company was incorporated in 1987 and is headquartered in Jackson, Michigan.

Full CMS Calculator →

ARESStock

Ares Management Corporation operates as an alternative asset manager in the United States, Europe, and Asia. The company's Tradable Credit Group segment manages various types of investment funds, such as commingled and separately managed accounts for institutional investors, and publicly traded vehicles and sub-advised funds for retail investors in the tradable and non-investment grade corporate credit markets. Its Direct Lending Group segment provides financing solutions to small-to-medium sized companies. The company's Private Equity Group segment focuses on majority or shared-control investments primarily in under-capitalized companies. Its Real Estate Group segment invests in new developments and the repositioning of assets, with a focus on control or majority-control investments; and originates and invests in a range of self-originated financing opportunities for middle-market owners and operators of commercial real estate. The firm was previously known as Ares Management, L.P. Ares Management Corporation was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California with additional offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. Ares Management GP LLC is the general partner of the company.

Full ARES 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.