FAQs

Please visit our What Is a BDC page.

Our investment objective is to generate both current income and capital appreciation through debt and equity investments in U.S. middle-market companies. We primarily invest in first and second lien senior loans (including unitranche loans) and mezzanine debt, which in some cases includes an equity component, and, to a lesser extent, equity investments through our national direct origination platform.

Our common stock is listed and traded on NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol ARCC. For more detailed stock information, please visit our Stock Information page.

No. Generally, investors may purchase Ares Capital shares only through a broker.

Ares Capital’s CUSIP number for its common stock is 04010L103.

Our transfer agent, dividend paying agent and registrar is Computershare.

The quarterly net asset value per share may be obtained in our public filings (i.e., Forms 10-Q and 10-K) with the Securities and Exchange Commission via its website www.sec.gov or by visiting our SEC Filings page.

Yes. Ares Capital intends to distribute dividends or make distributions to shareholders of record on a quarterly basis. To view our historical dividends, please visit our Dividends page. Please note that dividends may not continue at the current level if at all.

Yes. Registered shareholders are automatically enrolled in the dividend reinvestment plan and any cash dividends we declare will be automatically reinvested in additional shares of our common stock.

Please note: if you hold your shares through a bank, broker or other intermediary, please contact your bank, broker or other intermediary to inquire about dividend reinvestment options. The Ares Capital DRIP only applies to registered shareholders.

Click Here to View the Dividend Reinvestment Plan

A registered shareholder may elect to receive a cash dividend in cash by notifying Computershare, the plan administrator, via its website at www.computershare.com/investor, by filling out the transaction request form located at the bottom of their statement and sending it to Computershare Trust Company, N.A. at at P.O. Box 505000, Louisville, KY 40233-5000 or by calling Computershare at 1-866-365-2497 (toll free in US/Canada) so that that such notice is received by Computershare no later than 1:00 PM Eastern Time on the record date fixed by Ares Capital's board of directors for the related cash dividend.

In addition, participants may 'opt out' of the DRIP entirely and terminate their accounts by notifying Computershare via its website at www.computershare.com/investor, by filling out the transaction request form located at the bottom of their statement and sending it to Computershare Trust Company, N.A. at at P.O. Box 505000, Louisville, KY 40233-5000 or by calling Computershare at 1-866-365-2497 (toll free in US/Canada).

Please note: if you hold your shares through a bank, broker or other intermediary, please contact your bank, broker or their intermediary directly about whether you participate in a dividend reinvestment plan and for instructions on how to 'opt out'.

Dividends are generally taxable in the year in which they are declared by Ares Capital. Following the end of each year we provide a Form 1099-DIV and a tax status letter to shareholders that describe the taxability of the dividends paid in the preceding year, including a breakdown between ordinary income and capital gains. DRIP participants are taxed on the dividends as if they had received cash. For information on the tax status of the prior year’s dividends, please visit our Tax Information page. For information about taxes in respect of dividends received by you, you should consult your own tax advisor.

No. Ares Capital’s dividend is generally not a “qualified dividend” for tax purposes and therefore generally is not eligible for the lower qualified dividend tax rate. As a regulated investment company, Ares Capital generally does not pay income taxes on its earnings at the corporate level, but passes its income through to shareholders in the nature that it was earned. Therefore, a portion of our dividend is usually taxable to our shareholders at their ordinary income tax rates and a portion may qualify for the long-term capital gains tax rates. For more information about the tax treatment of our dividend, please visit our Tax Information page. For information about taxes in respect of dividends received by you, you should consult your own tax advisor.

Please visit our Analyst Coverage page to view a detailed list of the analysts who follow the company.

You are a registered shareholder if you hold shares of Ares Capital common stock registered in your name and you either hold a certificate representing such shares or such shares are held in book-entry form with our transfer agent, Computershare. If your shares are not registered in your name but instead are held in the name of your bank, broker or other intermediary, your securities are considered to be held in “street name.”

Former Allied Capital registered shareholders that held certificate(s) representing all their shares of Allied Capital common stock will not become registered shareholders of Ares Capital until they have exchanged such certificate(s) in accordance with the Letter of Transmittal previously sent to them. If you need another copy of the Letter of Transmittal, please contact Computershare at 1-866-365-2497 (toll free in US/Canada).

Please contact our transfer agent:

By Mail:
Computershare
P.O. Box 505000
Louisville, KY 40233-5000
United States of America

By Overnight Delivery Computershare 462 South 4th Street, Suite 1600 Louisville, KY 40202 United States of America

Telephone: 1-866-365-2497 (toll-free in US/Canada)

If you are a former Allied Capital shareholder and have not yet exchanged your shares or need more information on how to exchange your Allied Capital shares, please contact our exchange agent, Computershare Shareowner Services LLC ('Computershare') at 1-866-365-2497 (toll free in US/Canada) or Ares Capital Corporation Investor Relations at 1-888-818-5298 (toll free in US/Canada). While investors are deemed to have received dividends on the payable date and are taxed as such, dividends paid on unexchanged shares will be held in an interest-free account for the benefit of the investor. Once the shares have been exchanged, all accrued dividends will be paid to the investor. However, depending on the state in which you reside, if you do not exchange your shares of Allied Capital in a timely manner in accordance with the laws of such state, your shares and all accrued dividends may be escheated (i.e. turned over) to such state.

If you are a former American Capital shareholder and have not yet exchanged your shares or need more information on how to exchange your American Capital shares, please contact our exchange agent, Computershare Shareowner Services LLC ('Computershare') at 1-866-365-2497 (toll free in US/Canada) or Ares Capital Corporation Investor Relations at 1-888-818-5298 (toll free in US/Canada). While investors are deemed to have received dividends on the payable date and are taxed as such, dividends paid on unexchanged shares will be held in an interest-free account for the benefit of the investor. Once the shares have been exchanged, all accrued dividends will be paid to the investor. However, depending on the state in which you reside, if you do not exchange your shares of American Capital in a timely manner in accordance with the laws of such state, your shares and all accrued dividends may be escheated (i.e. turned over) to such state.

Yes. Registered shareholders may sign up for online account access at www.computershare.com/investor by using the Investor ID sent to each registered shareholder.

You can request information via our Contact Us page.

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