Ares Capital Corporation (NASDAQ: ARCC) is a publicly traded business development company (BDC) that specializes in providing debt and equity financing solutions to U.S. middle-market companies. As a BDC, Ares Capital offers investors access to a diversified portfolio of tailored credit investments, including senior secured loans, unitranche financing, mezzanine debt and equity co-investments. The firm’s flexible capital structures are designed to support companies seeking growth capital, refinancing or strategic acquisitions.
Through its credit platform, Ares Capital focuses on originations, underwriting and portfolio management across a range of industries, with a particular emphasis on sectors such as healthcare, technology, industrials and business services. The company’s lending strategies cater to sponsor-backed transactions as well as corporate borrowers, while its opportunistic investing group pursues special situations and secondary market transactions that may offer attractive risk-adjusted returns.
Founded in 2004 and headquartered in the United States, Ares Capital conducts the majority of its investment activities across North America. Since its initial public offering in late 2004, the company has grown alongside its external manager, Ares Management Corporation, to become one of the largest BDCs by asset size, benefiting from a scalable investment platform and disciplined credit underwriting process.
Ares Capital is externally managed by Ares Management, a global alternative asset manager with a dedicated credit business led by experienced investment professionals. The BDC’s governance structure is overseen by an independent board of directors, and its day-to-day investment decisions are executed by the Ares Credit Group, which comprises teams specializing in direct lending, mezzanine financing and opportunistic credit strategies.