ARCC vs MAIN vs BXSL Stock Comparison

Ares Capital, Main Street Capital and Blackstone Secured Lending Fund Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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ARCC Ares Capital Corp
$19.12 -1.2% 1M -7.2% 1Y
Market cap
$13.71B
P/E
15.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.09B
Div. yield
–
Business Development Companies Financial Services
3 wins
MAIN Main Street Capital CORP
$55.88 0.0% 1M -3.2% 1Y
Market cap
$5.15B
P/E
11.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$575.05M
Div. yield
0.07%
Business Development Companies Financial Services
5 wins

Head to Head

9 decided of 12

Main Street Capital leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Main Street Capital 5, Ares Capital 3, Blackstone Secured Lending Fund 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionARCCMAINBXSLLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $13.71B $5.15B $5.41B ARCC
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 15.7x 11.4x 18.4x MAIN
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 10.7x 14.1x 8.1x BXSL
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +2.3% +3.0% -2.6% MAIN
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 28.3% 78.5% 21.5% MAIN
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — — — –
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — — — –
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.07% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -7.2% -3.2% -13.0% MAIN
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -2.3%/yr +5.0%/yr -4.1%/yr MAIN
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 19.3% 24.5% 21.6% ARCC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 50/100 44/100 36/100 ARCC

Percentile Scorecard

ARCCMAINBXSL

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

AxisARCCMAINBXSL
Valuation 39 #103 of 169 10 #153 of 169 32 #115 of 169
Growth 66 #55 of 159 39 #97 of 159 27 #116 of 159
Profitability 60 #59 of 146 36 #94 of 146 42 #85 of 146
Financial Health 54 #71 of 153 81 #30 of 153 39 #94 of 153
Shareholder Returns 31 #93 of 135 56 #60 of 135 40 #82 of 135
Overall 50 44 36
  • ARCC ranked among 174 companies in Lending and Credit
  • MAIN ranked among 174 companies in Lending and Credit
  • BXSL 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

PeriodARCCMAINBXSLSPY
1 month -1.2%0.0%-4.6% +0.7%
3 months +1.5%+2.6%+1.5% +3.7%
6 months -0.2%+0.1%-5.2% +7.1%
Year to date -5.5%-7.5%-10.7% +12.8%
1 year -7.2%-3.2%-13.0% +11.9%
3 years +0.7%+47.1%-14.0% +85.2%
3 years, per year +0.2%+13.7%-4.9% +22.8%
5 years -10.8%+27.5%-18.9% +67.6%
5 years, per year -2.3%+5.0%-4.1% +10.9%
10 years +23.5%+64.1%— +262.0%
10 years, per year +2.1%+5.1%— +13.7%

Risk

MeasureARCCMAINBXSLSPY
Volatility, 1Y 19.3%24.5%21.6% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 19.7%24.7%21.0% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.610.700.45 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.37-0.13-0.60 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -26.7%-30.1%-41.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -9.1%-13.5%-17.2% -1.2%
52-week high $21.03$64.60$28.39 $779.14
52-week low $17.45$49.63$22.94 $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.

MultipleARCCMAINBXSL
P/E now vs peer median 15.7xmedian 11.7x 11.5xmedian 11.7x 18.6xmedian 11.7x
P/S now vs peer median 4.5xmedian 2.7x 9.1xmedian 2.7x 4.0xmedian 2.7x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median —median 13.1x —median 13.1x —median 13.1x
P/FCF now vs peer median 12.1xmedian 6.5x -34.8xmedian 6.5x 37.0xmedian 6.5x
P/B now vs peer median 1.0xmedian 0.7x 1.6xmedian 0.7x 0.9xmedian 0.7x
PEG now vs peer median -0.87median 0.33 2.89median 0.33 -0.72median 0.33

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 monthsARCCMAINBXSL
Revenue $3.09B $575.05M $1.36B
Net income $875.00M $451.34M $293.34M
Free cash flow $1.15B -$149.81M $147.96M
EPS (diluted) $1.22 $4.84 $1.26
Cash & equivalents $722.00M $58.31M $267.16M
Total debt $15.12B $2.53B $7.54B
Shares (diluted) 720.00M 93.25M 232.56M
Enterprise value $11.46B $5.00B $4.25B

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
MetricARCCMAINBXSL
P/E 15.7x 11.5x 18.6x
P/FCF 12.1x -34.8x 37.0x
P/Operating cash flow 12.1x -34.8x 37.0x
P/S 4.5x 9.1x 4.0x
P/B 1.0x 1.6x 0.9x
P/Tangible book 1.0x 1.6x 0.9x
EV/EBITDA – – –
EV/EBIT – – –
EV/Revenue 9.1x 13.4x 9.4x
EV/FCF 24.6x -51.3x 86.1x
EV/Operating cash flow 24.6x -51.3x 86.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -0.87 2.89 -0.72

Growth

14 metrics
MetricARCCMAINBXSL
Revenue growth (1Y) 2.3% 3.0% -2.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 6.6% 56.5% 9.7%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – – –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – – –
Operating income growth (1Y) – – –
Operating income CAGR (3Y) – – –
Net income growth (1Y) -35.8% -15.9% -52.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -12.0% 9.1% -16.4%
EPS growth (1Y) -36.8% -19.5% -53.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -18.0% 4.0% -26.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 173.5% -150.0% 112.1%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 30.9% 2.1% -51.9%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 173.5% -150.0% 112.1%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 30.9% 2.1% -51.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricARCCMAINBXSL
Gross margin – – –
EBITDA margin – – –
Operating margin – – –
Pretax margin – – –
Net margin 28.3% 78.5% 21.5%
FCF margin 37.1% -26.1% 10.9%
Operating cash flow margin 37.1% -26.1% 10.9%
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 -0.3x 0.5x
Stock comp / revenue – 3.8% –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricARCCMAINBXSL
Debt / assets 49.4% 42.6% 54.7%
Debt / equity 1.1x 0.8x 1.3x
Net debt / EBITDA – – –
Debt / FCF 13.2x -16.9x 50.9x
Liabilities / assets 54.4% 46.7% 56.9%
Equity / assets 45.6% 53.3% 43.1%
Interest coverage – – –
Current ratio – – –
Quick ratio – – –
Cash ratio – – –
Altman Z-score – – –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricARCCMAINBXSL
Dividend yield 10.0% 7.8% 13.1%
Net buyback yield -0.8% -3.2% -0.9%
Shareholder yield 9.3% 4.5% 12.2%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 77.3% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – -233.0% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – 5.4% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 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.

ConsensusARCCMAINBXSL
Forward P/E 10.7xFY2026 14.1xFY2026 8.1xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $1.79FY2026 $3.96FY2026 $2.92FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -10.9%FY2026 +0.3%FY2026 -9.6%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +5.0% +0.8% -8.2%
Revenue, next fiscal year $2.89BFY2026 $613.11MFY2026 $1.35BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -5.1%FY2026 +8.2%FY2026 -5.0%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +7.8% +7.3% -0.9%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersARCCMAINBXSL
Held by institutions 33.7% 24.2% 37.7%
Institutions holding 781 398 358
Change in shares held, QoQ -1.8% -3.3% +4.1%
Institutions buying 380 189 198
Institutions selling 254 120 100
Buyers to sellers 1.50 1.58 1.98

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.

ARCCMAINBXSL
ARCC 1.00 0.71 0.75
MAIN 0.71 1.00 0.63
BXSL 0.75 0.63 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ARCC, MAIN and BXSL?

Ares Capital (ARCC) is the largest by market capitalisation: Ares Capital (ARCC) $13.71B, Main Street Capital (MAIN) $5.15B, Blackstone Secured Lending Fund (BXSL) $5.41B.

Which stock is cheaper, ARCC, MAIN and BXSL?

Main Street Capital (MAIN) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Ares Capital (ARCC) 15.7x, Main Street Capital (MAIN) 11.4x, Blackstone Secured Lending Fund (BXSL) 18.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, Blackstone Secured Lending Fund (BXSL) is cheapest (Ares Capital (ARCC) 10.7x, Main Street Capital (MAIN) 14.1x, Blackstone Secured Lending Fund (BXSL) 8.1x). 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%, Main Street Capital (MAIN) +3.0%, Blackstone Secured Lending Fund (BXSL) -2.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

Main Street Capital (MAIN) has the highest net margin (Ares Capital (ARCC) 28.3%, Main Street Capital (MAIN) 78.5%, Blackstone Secured Lending Fund (BXSL) 21.5%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Main Street Capital (MAIN) returned the most: Ares Capital (ARCC) -7.2%, Main Street Capital (MAIN) -3.2%, Blackstone Secured Lending Fund (BXSL) -13.0%. Over five years, Main Street Capital (MAIN) compounded fastest (Ares Capital (ARCC) -2.3%/yr, Main Street Capital (MAIN) +5.0%/yr, Blackstone Secured Lending Fund (BXSL) -4.1%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Ares Capital (ARCC) 0.00%, Main Street Capital (MAIN) 0.07%, Blackstone Secured Lending Fund (BXSL) 0.00%. Ares Capital (ARCC) and Blackstone Secured Lending Fund (BXSL) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Ares Capital (ARCC) has been the steadiest (Ares Capital (ARCC) 19.3%, Main Street Capital (MAIN) 24.5%, Blackstone Secured Lending Fund (BXSL) 21.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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.