Ares Capital Corporation vs First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Green Energy Idx Fd — how do they compare? Ares Capital Corporation trades at $19.87 (market cap $14.34B), while First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Green Energy Idx Fd trades at $53.21. The key difference: Ares Capital Corporation pays a 9.61% dividend while First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Green Energy Idx Fd pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ARCC | QCLN | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $14.34B | — |
Sector | Financials | Sector/Thematic |
52-Week High | $22.68 | $68.47 |
52-Week Low | $17.45 | $36.11 |
Dividend Yield | 9.61% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
ARCC trades at $19.87, down 0.55% with a bullish technical outlook supported by moving averages. The company reported $1.51B revenue and $1.30B net income for 2025, maintaining an 86.25% profit margin. Recent earnings show slight misses against expectations, but dividend coverage remains stable at 104% with a 9.9% yield. Analyst consensus is strongly bullish with 24 buy ratings and a $19.63 price target.
The stock presents income appeal with its high dividend yield and stable payout history, though recent earnings compression and rising non-accruals to 2.4% signal credit quality concerns. Private credit sector strain and potential rate cuts pose medium-term risks to net investment income, which is 71% variable-rate exposed.
QCLN trades at $53.09, up 2.0% with a bullish technical signal from moving averages. The ETF benefits from clean energy sector momentum driven by data center power demand and global energy security concerns. Recent news highlights clean energy ETF gains amid volatile oil markets, though regulatory challenges and supply chain pressures present headwinds. Key support sits at $51-52 with resistance at $53-55.
The outlook remains positive given structural energy transition trends, but investors face regulatory uncertainty from U.S. permit delays and China trade tensions. Wall Street sentiment leans bullish on clean energy themes, though valuation metrics are unavailable for this ETF. Risks include geopolitical supply chain disruptions and policy shifts affecting renewable project economics.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
Ares Capital Corp is a United States-based closed-ended specialty finance company. Its investment objective is to generate both current income and capital appreciation through debt and equity investments. The company focuses on investing primarily in U.S. middle-market companies with investment opportunities as well as in larger companies. Its portfolio comprises of first lien senior secured loans, second lien senior secured loans, and mezzanine debt (subordinated unsecured loan), which may include equity components that are diversified by industry and sector. The company may invest in preferred and common equity investments to a lesser proportion. Its revenue mainly consists of interest and dividend income received from the investment made.
Read more on ARCC →QCLN invests in U.S.-listed companies engaged in clean energy technologies. It focuses on solar power, wind, electric vehicles, and energy storage, with major holdings in firms like Tesla, ON Semiconductor, and Rivian.
Read more on QCLN →