We recently published a list of 12 Large-Cap Stocks Insiders Were Buying in Q1 2025 Before Trump’s Tariff Shockwave. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Ares Capital Corporation (NASDAQ:ARCC) stands against other large-cap stocks insiders were buying in Q1 2025 before Trump’s tariff shockwave.
US stocks surged last week following President Trump’s statement that he had “no intention” of removing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, which helped alleviate concerns about the central bank’s independence. Additionally, Trump took a more conciliatory stance on tariffs, suggesting that high import duties on China might eventually be reduced, writes Yahoo Finance.
Amid tariff wars and market uncertainty, insider trading often draws attention. Insider stock purchases may signal executive confidence, while sales aren’t necessarily negative—they could reflect personal or diversification choices. It’s best to view insider trading in context with a company’s financials and market conditions.
Our Methodology
Today, we’re focusing on stocks that have seen heavy insider buying activity in the first quarter of the year. Using Insider Monkey’s insider trading screener, we identified companies with market caps above $10 billion, where at least two insiders purchased shares in the past three months. From this list, we ranked the top 12 stocks with the highest value of insider purchases
Our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds, focusing on insider trading and stock picks from hedge fund investor newsletters and conferences. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
An executive in a sharp suit, signing a contract to close a successful leveraged buyout transaction.
Ares Capital Corporation (NASDAQ:ARCC)
Market cap: $14.26 billion
Ares Capital Corporation is a business development company that invests in middle-market companies, focusing on acquisitions, recapitalizations, restructurings, and leveraged buyouts. It primarily invests in industries such as manufacturing, business services, healthcare, consumer products, and technology, with investments ranging from $20 million to $400 million. The company operates from offices in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, and typically seeks to lead transactions and secure board representation in its portfolio companies.
In the first quarter of the year, two insiders, including the company’s co-president, bought around $1.07 million worth of Ares shares at an average price of $23.04 per share. The stock now trades at $20.75 per share, having declined 5.21% year-to-date, and 0.19% over the past 12 months.
In 2024, Ares Capital’s revenue grew by 14.38% to $2.99 billion, up from $2.61 billion in 2023. Earnings remained flat at $1.52 billion, the same as the previous year. The company’s board of directors declared a first quarter 2025 dividend of $0.48 per share.
Overall, ARCC ranks 4th on our list of large-cap stocks insiders were buying in Q1 2025 before Trump’s tariff shockwave. While we acknowledge the potential of ARCC as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than ARCC but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.
READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires.
Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
