ETF Evaluator:
First Trust NASDAQ® Cln Edge® GrnEngyETF (QCLN)
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(as of Jul 31)
Best Performing in Miscellaneous Sector Over the Last Year
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ETF Details
First Trust NASDAQ® Cln Edge® GrnEngyETF Overview
First Trust NASDAQ® Cln Edge® GrnEngyETF (QCLN) is a passively managed Sector Equity Miscellaneous Sector exchange-traded fund (ETF). First Trust launched the ETF in 2007.
The investment seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield (before the fund's fees and expenses) of an equity index called the NASDAQ® Clean Edge® Green Energy TM Index.
The fund will normally invest at least 90% of its net assets (including investment borrowings) in the securities that comprise the index. The index is designed to track the performance of small, mid and large capitalization clean energy companies that are publicly traded in the United States. It is non-diversified.
About First Trust NASDAQ® Cln Edge® GrnEngyETF (QCLN)
There are 7 members of the management team with an average tenure of 16.08 years: Daniel Lindquist (2007), Jon Erickson (2007), David McGarel (2007), Stan Ueland (2007), Chris Peterson (2016), Erik Russo (2020) and Roger Testin (2007). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: Russell 3000 TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and Russell 2000 TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. First Trust NASDAQ® Cln Edge® GrnEngyETF has 54 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 58.6% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a nondiversified fund. The ETF is considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
First Trust NASDAQ® Cln Edge® GrnEngyETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the Sector Equity ETF group. First Trust NASDAQ® Cln Edge® GrnEngyETF has 5.9% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 93.8% There is 5.9% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). First Trust NASDAQ® Cln Edge® GrnEngyETF has 0.3% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $836 million in total assets, which is above the $351 million average for the Miscellaneous Sector category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
QCLN Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The First Trust NASDAQ® Cln Edge® GrnEngyETF expense ratio is average compared to funds in the Miscellaneous Sector category. First Trust NASDAQ® Cln Edge® GrnEngyETF has an expense ratio of 0.59%, which is 19% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a B. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. First Trust NASDAQ® Cln Edge® GrnEngyETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 23%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 45% for the Miscellaneous Sector category.
Recently, in the month of June 2026, First Trust NASDAQ® Cln Edge® GrnEngyETF returned -7.6%, which earned it a grade of D, as the Miscellaneous Sector category had an average return of -6.8%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all ETFs in that category.
First Trust NASDAQ® Cln Edge® GrnEngyETF has a trailing yield of 0.14%, which is below the 1.02% category average.
The fund normally distributes its income quarterly and its capital gains annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
First Trust NASDAQ® Cln Edge® GrnEngyETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 37.5%, 23.7 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of A. The fund has returned 87.7% over the past year (grade of B), 6.7% over the past three years (grade of C) and -2.0% per year over the past five years (grade of C) and 16.3% per year over the past 10 years (grade of A).
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QCLN Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 6/30/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| QCLN Return (NAV) | -7.6% | 31.8% | 87.7% | 6.7% | -2.0% | 16.3% |
| QCLN Return (Price) | -7.5% | 32.0% | 87.9% | 6.7% | -2.0% | 16.4% |
| NAV +/- Price Return | -0.059% | -0.150% | -0.264% | -0.066% | -0.007% | -0.055% |
| Miscellaneous Sector Avg | -6.8% | 13.7% | 51.8% | 8.1% | -7.9% | 7.0% |
| QCLN Grade (NAV) | D | A | B | C | C | A |
| +/- Category (NAV) | -0.8% | 18.1% | 35.9% | -1.5% | 5.9% | 9.3% |
| QCLN Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
QCLN Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 6/30/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| QCLN Return (NAV) | 37.5% | 31.7% | -18.8% | -10.0% | -30.4% | -3.1% | 183.4% | 42.7% | -12.2% | 31.7% | -2.1% |
| QCLN Return (Price) | 37.5% | 31.8% | -18.9% | -10.0% | -30.4% | -3.2% | 184.0% | 42.6% | -12.4% | 32.3% | -2.7% |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | 0.001% | 0.005% | 0.002% | 0.006% | -0.000% | 0.031% | 0.003% | -0.1% | 1.1% | 1.9% | 28.0% |
| Miscellaneous Sector Avg | 13.8% | 30.9% | -12.7% | -3.8% | -34.7% | 9.9% | 62.0% | 25.7% | -13.2% | 27.3% | 0.5% |
| QCLN Grade (NAV) | A | C | C | C | C | C | A | B | C | B | D |
| +/- Category | 23.7% | 0.8% | -6.1% | -6.2% | 4.3% | -13.0% | 121.4% | 17.0% | 1.0% | 4.5% | -2.6% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | 2.11 |
| R-Squared: | 57% |
| Standard Deviation: | 35.4% |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.91 |
| Category Risk Rating: | Above Average |
| Total Risk Index: | 2.91 |
| Total Risk Rating: | High |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 0.1% |
| Total Assets: | $ 837 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 837 Mil |
| Turnover: | 23.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.59% |
| Index Fund: | Yes |
| Index Tracked: | Russell 3000 TR USD |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | Yes |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Quarterly |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 7 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 19.4 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 16.1 years | |||
| Managers (Year): McGarel David (2007), Ueland Stan (2007), Lindquist Daniel (2007), Testin Roger (2007), Erickson Jon (2007), Peterson Chris (2016), Russo Erik (2020) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 54 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 58.6% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | Yes |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 5.9% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 93.8% |
| Foreign Stock: | 5.9% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.3% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | First Trust |
| Phone Number: | 800-621-1675 |
| Website: | www.ftportfolios.com |
| Inception Date: | February 8, 2007 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.59% (Rating: Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.73% |
