Managing roughly $13 billion as of June 30, Ares Capital has carved out a niche as a specialty financial company for so-called middle market companies – working with integrated debt and equity financing. Its portfolio was boosted in 2010 in a merger with Allied Capital.

Allied, a lender to small and mid-size businesses, was the recipient of bad press as a result of a conflict between hedge fund manager David Einhorn over Allied's business practices. With the acquisition, that conflict has apparently simmered down and Ares Capital company president Michael Arougheti last year proclaimed the merger potentially "transformational" for his company.