ARES vs STEP
ARES: A leading global alternative asset manager providing diverse capital solutions across credit, private equity, and real estate markets. STEP: StepStone Group is a global private markets specialist providing institutional-grade, customized investment solutions, data, and advisory services across private equity, debt, real estate, and infrastructure.
Side-by-side fundamentals
| Metric | ARES | STEP | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price as of 2026-10-08 close | $116.26 | $43.91 | |
| Market cap | $38.4B | $5.3B | |
| P/E as of 2026-10-08 | 41.20 | n/a | |
| Net margin | +11.1% | -26.9% | ARES higher |
| ROE FY2025, SEC XBRL | +6.1% | n/a | |
| ROA | +1.8% | -7.9% | ARES higher |
| Debt / equity as of 2026-09-03 | 3.33 | 1.75 | STEP lower |
| Revenue growth (YoY) as of 2026-09-03 | +38.5% | +70.8% | STEP higher |
| Revenue CAGR (3y) SEC XBRL | +18.2% | n/a | |
| Dividend yield as of 2026-09-03 | +4.4% | +2.9% | ARES higher |
| Dividend streak (yrs) SEC XBRL | 4 | 6 | STEP higher |
| Beta as of 2026-09-03 | 1.67 | 1.69 | |
| 1-year return as of 2026-10-08 close | -22.4% | -30.3% | ARES higher |
Fundamentals: SEC XBRL company filings for the figures marked with a fiscal year, and market data, as of 2026-09-03 for the rest. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-10-08.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & market data, shown with their as-of date; "Edge" cells are a pure numeric comparison, not a recommendation.