Ares Capital Co. (NASDAQ:ARCC) Shares Acquired by Romano Brothers AND Company

Romano Brothers AND Company increased its holdings in shares of Ares Capital Co. (NASDAQ:ARCC) by 11.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 354,237 shares of the investment management company’s stock after purchasing an additional 35,659 shares during the period. Ares Capital accounts for about 1.0% of Romano Brothers AND Company’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Romano Brothers AND Company owned approximately 0.05% of Ares Capital worth $7,754,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ARCC. Horizon Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ares Capital during the third quarter worth $28,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Ares Capital by 56.8% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,510 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 909 shares during the period. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Ares Capital in the 3rd quarter worth $67,000. Centennial Bank AR purchased a new position in Ares Capital in the 3rd quarter valued at about $102,000. Finally, FSC Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Ares Capital by 562.5% during the third quarter. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,300 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $111,000 after acquiring an additional 4,500 shares in the last quarter. 27.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on ARCC shares. B. Riley boosted their price target on Ares Capital from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company raised Ares Capital from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Ares Capital from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $22.29.

Ares Capital Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ARCC opened at $23.18 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $21.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $21.29. Ares Capital Co. has a twelve month low of $19.32 and a twelve month high of $23.22. The company has a market capitalization of $14.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.92 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06.

Ares Capital (NASDAQ:ARCC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The investment management company reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by ($0.01). Ares Capital had a return on equity of 12.06% and a net margin of 53.71%. The business had revenue of $755.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $770.45 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.59 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Ares Capital Co. will post 2.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Ares Capital Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th were issued a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.28%. Ares Capital’s dividend payout ratio is currently 73.85%.

About Ares Capital

Ares Capital Corporation is a business development company specializing in acquisition, recapitalization, mezzanine debt, restructurings, rescue financing, and leveraged buyout transactions of middle market companies. It also makes growth capital and general refinancing. It prefers to make investments in companies engaged in the basic and growth manufacturing, business services, consumer products, health care products and services, and information technology service sectors.