WU vs. ARCC

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about The Western Union Company (WU) and Ares Capital Corporation (ARCC).

Performance

WU vs. ARCC - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in The Western Union Company (WU) and Ares Capital Corporation (ARCC). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

WU vs. ARCC - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
WU The Western Union Company	-3.85%	-2.63%	-3.79%	-6.19%	-17.92%	-15.11%	-14.72%	62.85%	-6.73%	-9.27%
ARCC Ares Capital Corporation	-8.49%	1.07%	19.78%	20.03%	-3.84%	36.14%	0.86%	31.30%	8.81%	4.50%

Fundamentals

Market Cap WU : $2.78B ARCC : $12.60B
EPS WU : $1.53 ARCC : $1.64
PE Ratio WU : 5.70 ARCC : 11.00
PEG Ratio WU : 2.55 ARCC : 1.65
PS Ratio WU : 0.70 ARCC : 6.71
PB Ratio WU : 2.91 ARCC : 0.88
Total Revenue (TTM) WU : $4.05B ARCC : $1.88B
Gross Profit (TTM) WU : $1.50B ARCC : $1.18B
EBITDA (TTM) WU : $886.90M ARCC : $1.08B

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, WU achieves a -3.85% return, which is significantly higher than ARCC's -8.49% return. Over the past 10 years, WU has underperformed ARCC with an annualized return of -2.33%, while ARCC has yielded a comparatively higher 11.92% annualized return.

WU

• 1D: -0.11%
• 1M: -7.04%
• YTD: -3.85%
• 6M: 14.86%
• 1Y: -8.26%
• 3Y*: 0.69%
• 5Y*: -12.64%
• 10Y*: -2.33%

ARCC

• 1D: 1.58%
• 1M: -0.58%
• YTD: -8.49%
• 6M: -7.16%
• 1Y: -10.69%
• 3Y*: 9.35%
• 5Y*: 8.75%
• 10Y*: 11.92%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Return for Risk

WU vs. ARCC — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

WU

WU Risk / Return Rank: 30
WU Sharpe Ratio Rank: 30
WU Sortino Ratio Rank: 26
WU Omega Ratio Rank: 27
WU Calmar Ratio Rank: 33
WU Martin Ratio Rank: 34

ARCC

ARCC Risk / Return Rank: 21
ARCC Sharpe Ratio Rank: 22
ARCC Sortino Ratio Rank: 20
ARCC Omega Ratio Rank: 20
ARCC Calmar Ratio Rank: 25
ARCC Martin Ratio Rank: 22

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

WU vs. ARCC - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for The Western Union Company (WU) and Ares Capital Corporation (ARCC). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	WU	ARCC	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	-0.26	-0.46	+0.20
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	-0.17	-0.51	+0.33
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	0.98	0.93	+0.05
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	-0.32	-0.54	+0.23
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	-0.56	-1.12	+0.57
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

WU vs. ARCC - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current WU Sharpe Ratio is -0.26, which is higher than the ARCC Sharpe Ratio of -0.46. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of WU and ARCC, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	WU	ARCC	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	-0.26	-0.46	+0.20
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	-0.45	0.44	-0.89
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	-0.09	0.47	-0.55
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	-0.01	0.37	-0.38

Correlation

The correlation between WU and ARCC is 0.39, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

WU vs. ARCC - Dividend Comparison

WU's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 10.77%, more than ARCC's 10.65% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
WU The Western Union Company	10.77%	10.10%	8.87%	7.89%	6.83%	5.27%	4.10%	2.99%	4.45%	3.68%	2.95%	3.46%
ARCC Ares Capital Corporation	10.65%	9.49%	8.77%	9.59%	10.12%	7.65%	9.47%	9.01%	9.88%	9.67%	9.22%	11.02%

Drawdowns

WU vs. ARCC - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum WU drawdown since its inception was -63.10%, smaller than the maximum ARCC drawdown of -79.36%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for WU and ARCC.

Drawdown Indicators

	WU	ARCC	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-63.10%	-79.36%	+16.26%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-23.41%	-19.35%	-4.06%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-59.32%	-21.76%	-37.56%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-60.15%	-56.77%	-3.38%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-52.49%	-16.71%	-35.78%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-28.50%	-9.07%	-19.43%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	13.28%	9.33%	+3.95%

Volatility

WU vs. ARCC - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for The Western Union Company (WU) is 6.11%, while Ares Capital Corporation (ARCC) has a volatility of 6.61%. This indicates that WU experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than ARCC based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	WU	ARCC	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	6.11%	6.61%	-0.50%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	22.23%	15.16%	+7.07%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	32.01%	23.48%	+8.53%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	28.26%	19.88%	+8.38%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	27.19%	25.53%	+1.66%

Financials

WU vs. ARCC - Profitability Comparison

The chart below illustrates the profitability comparison between The Western Union Company and Ares Capital Corporation over time, highlighting three key metrics: Gross Profit Margin, Operating Margin, and Net Profit Margin.

WU - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, The Western Union Company reported a gross profit of 363.00M and revenue of 1.01B. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 36.0%.

ARCC - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Ares Capital Corporation reported a gross profit of 43.48M and revenue of 202.00M. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 21.5%.

WU - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, The Western Union Company reported an operating income of 185.30M and revenue of 1.01B, resulting in an operating margin of 18.4%.

ARCC - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Ares Capital Corporation reported an operating income of 26.85M and revenue of 202.00M, resulting in an operating margin of 13.3%.

WU - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, The Western Union Company reported a net income of 114.40M and revenue of 1.01B, resulting in a net margin of 11.3%.

ARCC - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Ares Capital Corporation reported a net income of 142.36M and revenue of 202.00M, resulting in a net margin of 70.5%.