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2026-09-15
2026-09-15
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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of report (Date of earliest event
reported) September 15, 2026
ARES CAPITAL CORPORATION
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in
Charter)
| Maryland |
|
814-00663 |
|
33-1089684 |
(State or Other Jurisdiction
of Incorporation) |
|
(Commission
File Number) |
|
(IRS Employer
Identification No.) |
| 245 Park Avenue, 44th Floor, New York, NY |
|
10167 |
| (Address of Principal Executive Offices) |
|
(Zip Code) |
Registrant’s telephone number, including
area code (212) 750-7300
(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed
Since Last Report)
Check the appropriate box below if the
Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions
(see General Instruction A.2. below):
| ¨ | Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities
Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
| ¨ | Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange
Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
| ¨ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under
the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
| ¨ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under
the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of
the Act:
| Title of each class |
|
Trading symbol |
|
Name of each exchange on which registered |
| Common stock, $0.001 par value |
|
ARCC |
|
NASDAQ Global Select Market |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant
is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§ 230.405 of this chapter)
or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§ 240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging
growth company ¨
If
an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for
complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange
Act. ¨
Item 1.01. Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.
On September 15, 2026 Ares
Capital Corporation (the “Company”) and U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association (the “Trustee”), entered
into a Seventh Supplemental Indenture (the “Seventh Supplemental Indenture”) to the Indenture, dated May 13, 2024, between
the Company and the Trustee (the “Base Indenture” and, together with the Seventh Supplemental Indenture, the “Indenture”).
The Seventh Supplemental Indenture relates to the Company’s issuance, offer and sale of $750,000,000 aggregate principal amount
of its 6.250% notes due 2033 (the “Notes”).
The Notes will mature on September
15, 2033 and may be redeemed in whole or in part at the Company’s option at any time at the redemption price set forth in the Seventh
Supplemental Indenture. The Notes bear interest at a rate of 6.250% per year payable semiannually on March 15 and September 15 of each
year, commencing on March 15, 2027. The Notes are direct unsecured obligations of the Company.
The Company expects to use
the net proceeds of this offering to repay certain outstanding indebtedness under its credit facilities. The Company may reborrow under
its credit facilities for general corporate purposes, which include investing in portfolio companies in accordance with its investment
objective.
The Indenture contains certain
covenants, including covenants requiring the Company to comply with Section 18(a)(1)(A) as modified by Section 61(a) of the Investment
Company Act of 1940, as amended, or any successor provisions, as such obligation may be amended or superseded but giving effect to any
exemptive relief granted to the Company by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), and to provide financial information
to the holders of the Notes and the Trustee if the Company should no longer be subject to the reporting requirements under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These covenants are subject to important limitations and exceptions that are described in the Indenture.
In addition, upon the occurrence
of a change of control repurchase event (which involves the occurrence of both a change of control and a below investment grade rating
of the Notes by each of Fitch, Inc., Moody’s Investor Services, Inc. and Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services), the Company
will be required to make an offer to purchase the Notes at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest
to the date of purchase.
The Notes were offered and
sold pursuant to the Registration Statement on Form N-2 (File No. 333-279023) filed with the SEC on May 1, 2024, the preliminary prospectus
supplement filed with the SEC on September 8, 2026 and the pricing term sheet filed with the SEC on September 8, 2026. The transaction
closed on September 15, 2026.
The Trustee also serves as
the Company’s custodian under the terms of a custody agreement, pursuant to which it receives customary fees and expenses as custodian.
The foregoing descriptions of the Base Indenture,
Seventh Supplemental Indenture and the Notes do not purport to be complete and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the full
text of the Base Indenture, Seventh Supplemental Indenture and the Notes, respectively, each filed as exhibits hereto and incorporated
herein by reference.
Item 2.03. Creation of a Direct Financial
Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant.
The information required by
Item 2.03 contained in Item 1.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 8.01. Other Events.
On September 8, 2026 the Company,
Ares Capital Management LLC, Ares Operations LLC and BofA Securities, Inc., J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, RBC Capital Markets, LLC, SMBC
Nikko Securities America, Inc. and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, as representatives of the several underwriters named on Schedule A thereto,
entered into a Purchase Agreement with respect to the issuance and sale of the Notes.
In connection with the issuance
of the Notes, the Company entered into an interest rate swap with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. to swap from a fixed rate of interest to a
floating rate of interest. The notional amount of the interest rate swap is $750,000,000, pursuant to which the Company will receive fixed
rate interest at 6.250% and pay floating rate interest based on three-month SOFR + 1.85250%. The interest rate swap matures on September
15, 2033.
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits:
Exhibit
Number |
|
Description |
| 1.1 |
|
Purchase Agreement, dated as of September 8, 2026, among Ares Capital Corporation, Ares Capital Management LLC, Ares Operations LLC and BofA Securities, Inc., J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, RBC Capital Markets, LLC, SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc. and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, as representatives of the several underwriters named on Schedule A thereto |
| |
|
|
| 4.1 |
|
Indenture, dated as of May 13, 2024, by and between the Company and U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association, as trustee (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Form 10-Q (File No. 814-00663) for the quarter ended June 30, 2024, filed on July 30, 2024) |
| |
|
|
| 4.2 |
|
Seventh Supplemental Indenture, dated as of September 15, 2026, relating to the 6.250% Notes due 2033, between the Company and U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association, as trustee |
| |
|
|
| 4.3 |
|
Form of 6.250% Notes due 2033 (contained in the Seventh Supplemental Indenture filed as Exhibit 4.2 hereto) |
| |
|
|
| 5.1 |
|
Opinion of Venable LLP |
| |
|
|
| 5.2 |
|
Opinion of Kirkland & Ellis LLP |
| |
|
|
| 23.1 |
|
Consent of Venable LLP (contained in the opinion filed as Exhibit 5.1 hereto) |
| |
|
|
| 23.2 |
|
Consent of Kirkland & Ellis LLP (contained in the opinion filed as Exhibit 5.2 hereto) |
| |
|
|
| 104 |
|
Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within Inline XBRL Document) |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto
duly authorized.
| |
ARES CAPITAL CORPORATION |
| Date: September 15, 2026 |
|
|
| |
By: |
/s/ Scott C. Lem |
| |
Name: |
Scott C. Lem |
| |
Title: |
Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer |
