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 2026-08-21 close | $141.25 | $49.99 | |
| Market cap as of 2026-08-24 | $33.4B | $6.2B | |
| P/E as of 2026-08-24 | 53.69 | n/a | |
| PEG as of 2026-08-24 | 2.93 | -0.04 | STEP lower |
| Net margin as of 2026-08-24 | +10.5% | -26.5% | ARES higher |
| Gross margin as of 2026-08-24 | n/a | +72.6% | |
| Operating margin as of 2026-08-24 | +17.7% | -50.3% | ARES higher |
| ROE as of 2026-08-24 | +14.5% | -98.4% | ARES higher |
| ROA as of 2026-08-24 | +2.2% | -9.7% | ARES higher |
| Debt / equity as of 2026-08-24 | 3.33 | 1.75 | STEP lower |
| Revenue growth (YoY) as of 2026-08-24 | +38.5% | +70.8% | STEP higher |
| Revenue CAGR (3y) SEC XBRL | +18.2% | n/a | |
| Dividend yield as of 2026-08-24 | +2.8% | +3.3% | STEP higher |
| Dividend streak (yrs) SEC XBRL | 4 | 5 | STEP higher |
| Beta as of 2026-08-24 | 1.55 | 1.27 | |
| 1-year return as of 2026-08-21 close | -20.8% | -14.9% | STEP higher |
Fundamentals: market data, as of 2026-08-24. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-08-21.
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.