Ares Capital Co. (NASDAQ:ARCC) Shares Sold by Brandywine Oak Private Wealth LLC

Brandywine Oak Private Wealth LLC lessened its stake in shares of Ares Capital Co. (NASDAQ:ARCC) by 25.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,159 shares of the investment management company’s stock after selling 4,935 shares during the quarter. Brandywine Oak Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Ares Capital were worth $310,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ARCC. Horizon Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Ares Capital during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ares Capital by 56.8% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,510 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 909 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Ares Capital in the third quarter valued at $67,000. Centennial Bank AR acquired a new position in shares of Ares Capital during the third quarter worth about $102,000. Finally, Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Ares Capital by 19.6% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,900 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $107,000 after purchasing an additional 803 shares during the last quarter. 27.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. B. Riley raised their price objective on shares of Ares Capital from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. StockNews.com upgraded Ares Capital from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Ares Capital from $23.00 to $24.50 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Ares Capital from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Ares Capital currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $22.79.

Ares Capital Trading Down 3.0 %

NASDAQ:ARCC opened at $23.10 on Thursday. Ares Capital Co. has a 1 year low of $19.32 and a 1 year high of $23.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.29. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $22.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $21.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.88 and a beta of 1.01.

Ares Capital (NASDAQ:ARCC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The investment management company reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by ($0.03). Ares Capital had a net margin of 53.71% and a return on equity of 12.06%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ares Capital Co. will post 2.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ares Capital Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.31%. 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.