ARCC vs FSK vs MAIN Stock Comparison

Ares Capital, FS KKR Capital and Main Street Capital Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ARCC Ares Capital Corp
$18.53 -3.1% 1M -9.9% 1Y
Market cap
$13.38B
P/E
15.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.09B
Div. yield
10.36%
Business Development Companies Financial Services
2 wins
FSK FS KKR Capital Corp
$10.71 -4.0% 1M -30.2% 1Y
Market cap
$3.00B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$1.32B
Div. yield
18.77%
Business Development Companies Financial Services
3 wins
MAIN Main Street Capital CORP
$54.64 -0.8% 1M -6.6% 1Y
Market cap
$5.10B
P/E
11.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$575.05M
Div. yield
7.96%
Business Development Companies Financial Services
5 wins

Head to Head

10 decided of 12

Main Street Capital leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Main Street Capital 5, FS KKR Capital 3, Ares Capital 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionARCCFSKMAINLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $13.38B $3.00B $5.10B ARCC
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 15.2x -8.0x 11.3x MAIN
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 10.4x 6.8x 13.8x FSK
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +2.3% -20.1% +3.0% MAIN
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 28.3% -28.5% 78.5% MAIN
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — — — –
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — — — –
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 10.36% 18.77% 7.96% FSK
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -9.9% -30.2% -6.6% MAIN
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -2.9%/yr -13.4%/yr +4.5%/yr MAIN
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 19.1% 33.6% 24.4% ARCC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 50/100 72/100 45/100 FSK

Percentile Scorecard

ARCCFSKMAIN

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisARCCFSKMAIN
Valuation 40 #102 of 169 94 #11 of 169 10 #152 of 169
Growth 67 #55 of 162 19 #131 of 162 39 #99 of 162
Profitability 60 #61 of 149 79 #32 of 149 36 #96 of 149
Financial Health 55 #72 of 158 94 #10 of 158 81 #31 of 158
Shareholder Returns 30 #95 of 136 73 #37 of 136 58 #58 of 136
Overall 50 72 45
  • ARCC ranked among 174 companies in Lending and Credit
  • FSK ranked among 174 companies in Lending and Credit
  • MAIN ranked among 174 companies in Lending and Credit

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodARCCFSKMAINSPY
1 month -3.1%-4.0%-0.8% +0.9%
3 months -1.0%-0.5%+0.5% +5.9%
6 months -0.7%+0.3%+1.7% +8.5%
Year to date -8.4%-27.7%-9.5% +13.3%
1 year -9.9%-30.2%-6.6% +12.4%
3 years -0.7%-42.6%+44.3% +88.1%
3 years, per year -0.2%-16.9%+13.0% +23.5%
5 years -13.6%-51.2%+24.7% +68.2%
5 years, per year -2.9%-13.4%+4.5% +11.0%
10 years +19.7%-72.2%+60.5% +263.4%
10 years, per year +1.8%-12.0%+4.8% +13.8%

Risk

MeasureARCCFSKMAINSPY
Volatility, 1Y 19.1%33.6%24.4% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 19.7%35.7%24.6% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.620.820.71 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.52-0.90-0.27 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -26.7%-58.8%-30.1% -25.4%
From 52-week high -11.9%-33.6%-15.4% -0.9%
52-week high $21.03$16.13$64.60 $779.14
52-week low $17.45$9.91$49.63 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleARCCFSKMAIN
P/E now vs peer median 15.2xmedian 11.4x -8.0xmedian 11.4x 11.3xmedian 11.4x
P/S now vs peer median 4.3xmedian 2.7x 2.3xmedian 2.7x 8.9xmedian 2.7x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median —median 11.3x —median 11.3x —median 11.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 11.7xmedian 6.9x 1.6xmedian 6.9x -34.0xmedian 6.9x
P/B now vs peer median 1.0xmedian 0.7x 0.6xmedian 0.7x 1.6xmedian 0.7x
PEG now vs peer median -0.85median 0.34 0.16median 0.34 2.83median 0.34

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsARCCFSKMAIN
Revenue $3.09B $1.32B $575.05M
Net income $875.00M -$375.00M $451.34M
Free cash flow $1.15B $1.92B -$149.81M
EPS (diluted) $1.22 $-1.34 $4.84
Cash & equivalents $722.00M – $58.31M
Total debt $15.12B $51.00M $2.53B
Shares (diluted) 720.00M 280.24M 93.25M
Enterprise value $11.13B $3.00B $4.95B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricARCCFSKMAIN
P/E 15.2x -8.0x 11.3x
P/FCF 11.7x 1.6x -34.0x
P/Operating cash flow 11.7x 1.6x -34.0x
P/S 4.3x 2.3x 8.9x
P/B 1.0x 0.6x 1.6x
P/Tangible book 1.0x 0.6x 1.6x
EV/EBITDA – – –
EV/EBIT – – –
EV/Revenue 9.0x 2.3x 13.2x
EV/FCF 24.3x 1.6x -50.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 24.3x 1.6x -50.6x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -0.85 0.16 2.83

Growth

14 metrics
MetricARCCFSKMAIN
Revenue growth (1Y) 2.3% -20.1% 3.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 6.6% -9.6% 56.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – – –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – – –
Operating income growth (1Y) – – –
Operating income CAGR (3Y) – – –
Net income growth (1Y) -35.8% -272.0% -15.9%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -12.0% -49.4% 9.1%
EPS growth (1Y) -36.8% -271.9% -19.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -18.0% -49.4% 4.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 173.5% 156.7% -150.0%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 30.9% -1.8% 2.1%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 173.5% 156.7% -150.0%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 30.9% -1.8% 2.1%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricARCCFSKMAIN
Gross margin – – –
EBITDA margin – – –
Operating margin – – –
Pretax margin – – –
Net margin 28.3% -28.5% 78.5%
FCF margin 37.1% 146.2% -26.1%
Operating cash flow margin 37.1% 146.2% -26.1%
Return on equity – – –
Return on assets – – –
Return on invested capital – – –
Return on capital employed – – –
Asset turnover 0.1x 0.1x 0.1x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.3x -5.1x -0.3x
Stock comp / revenue – – 3.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricARCCFSKMAIN
Debt / assets 49.4% 0.4% 42.6%
Debt / equity 1.1x 0.0x 0.8x
Net debt / EBITDA – – –
Debt / FCF 13.2x 0.0x -16.9x
Liabilities / assets 54.4% 57.3% 46.7%
Equity / assets 45.6% 42.7% 53.3%
Interest coverage – – –
Current ratio – – –
Quick ratio – – –
Cash ratio – – –
Altman Z-score – – –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricARCCFSKMAIN
Dividend yield 10.4% 18.8% 8.0%
Net buyback yield -0.8% – -3.3%
Shareholder yield 9.6% 18.8% 4.7%
Payout ratio (earnings) – -192.5% 77.3%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 37.5% -233.0%
Dividend growth (1Y) – -7.9% 5.4%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – -2.8% 15.7%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusARCCFSKMAIN
Forward P/E 10.4xFY2026 6.8xFY2026 13.8xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $1.79FY2026 $1.57FY2026 $3.96FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -10.9%FY2026 -32.9%FY2026 +0.3%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +5.0% 0.0% +0.8%
Revenue, next fiscal year $2.89BFY2026 $1.07BFY2026 $613.11MFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -5.1%FY2026 -29.3%FY2026 +8.2%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +7.8% +4.2% +7.3%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersARCCFSKMAIN
Held by institutions 33.7% 38.2% 24.2%
Institutions holding 780 437 397
Change in shares held, QoQ -1.8% +0.4% -3.3%
Institutions buying 379 183 188
Institutions selling 254 182 120
Buyers to sellers 1.49 1.01 1.57

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

ARCCFSKMAIN
ARCC 1.00 0.66 0.71
FSK 0.66 1.00 0.53
MAIN 0.71 0.53 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ARCC, FSK and MAIN?

Ares Capital (ARCC) is the largest by market capitalisation: Ares Capital (ARCC) $13.38B, FS KKR Capital (FSK) $3.00B, Main Street Capital (MAIN) $5.10B.

Which stock is cheaper, ARCC, FSK and MAIN?

Main Street Capital (MAIN) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Ares Capital (ARCC) 15.2x, FS KKR Capital (FSK) -8.0x, Main Street Capital (MAIN) 11.3x). On next year's consensus earnings, FS KKR Capital (FSK) is cheapest (Ares Capital (ARCC) 10.4x, FS KKR Capital (FSK) 6.8x, Main Street Capital (MAIN) 13.8x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Main Street Capital (MAIN) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Ares Capital (ARCC) +2.3%, FS KKR Capital (FSK) -20.1%, Main Street Capital (MAIN) +3.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Main Street Capital (MAIN) has the highest net margin (Ares Capital (ARCC) 28.3%, FS KKR Capital (FSK) -28.5%, Main Street Capital (MAIN) 78.5%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Main Street Capital (MAIN) returned the most: Ares Capital (ARCC) -9.9%, FS KKR Capital (FSK) -30.2%, Main Street Capital (MAIN) -6.6%. Over five years, Main Street Capital (MAIN) compounded fastest (Ares Capital (ARCC) -2.9%/yr, FS KKR Capital (FSK) -13.4%/yr, Main Street Capital (MAIN) +4.5%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

FS KKR Capital (FSK) has the highest dividend yield: Ares Capital (ARCC) 10.36%, FS KKR Capital (FSK) 18.77%, Main Street Capital (MAIN) 7.96%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Ares Capital (ARCC) has been the steadiest (Ares Capital (ARCC) 19.1%, FS KKR Capital (FSK) 33.6%, Main Street Capital (MAIN) 24.4%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ARCC, FSK and MAIN?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Main Street Capital (MAIN) leads on 5. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.