Main Street Capital (MAIN) vs Nuveen AMT-Free Quality Municipal Income Fund (NEA)
Head-to-head comparison of performance, valuation, growth, profitability and dividends. Prices delayed 15 minutes; data as of Oct 8, 2026.
Summary
Main Street Capital is the larger company by market cap ($5.09 billion vs $3.02 billion), about 1.7 times the size. On valuation, Main Street Capital trades at a lower trailing P/E (10.9x vs 13.0x for Nuveen AMT-Free Quality Municipal Income Fund). Nuveen AMT-Free Quality Municipal Income Fund offers the higher dividend yield (8.67% vs 5.67%).
Summary generated from market data by MetaCap's automated system. Methodology
Head-to-head
| Metric | MAIN | NEA |
|---|---|---|
| Share price | $54.47 | $9.99 |
| Market cap | $5.09B | $3.02B |
| 1-day change | +1.03% | +1.01% |
| YTD return | -10.28% | — |
| 1-year return | -12.29% | — |
| 5-year return | +27.18% | — |
| P/E ratio (TTM) | 10.94 | 12.97 |
| Forward P/E | 14.03 | — |
| EPS (TTM) | $4.98 | $0.77 |
| Dividend yield | 5.67% | 8.67% |
| Annual dividend | $3.09 | $0.866 |
| Net income (latest FY) | $493.40M | — |
| 52-week high | $65.23 | $11.90 |
| 52-week low | $48.95 | $9.53 |
| Distance from 52-week high | -16.50% | -16.05% |
| Analyst consensus | hold | hold |
| Avg. price target upside | +10.76% | — |
| Average volume | 532.40K | 1.48M |
| Shares outstanding | 93.51M | 302.13M |
| Employees | 110 | — |
| Sector | Finance | Finance |
| Industry | Finance/Investors Services | Finance/Investors Services |
Highlighted cells mark the higher value for growth, returns, margins and yield, and the lower value for P/E ratios. Highlighting is a mechanical comparison, not a recommendation.
Key differences
- Nuveen AMT-Free Quality Municipal Income Fund offers a meaningfully higher dividend yield (8.67% vs 5.67%).
About Main Street Capital
MAIN stock →Main Street Capital Corporation is a business development company and a small business investment company specializing in direct and indirect investments. In direct investments, the firm specializes in private equity capital to lower middle market companies.
Finance · Finance/Investors Services · 110 employees
About Nuveen AMT-Free Quality Municipal Income Fund
NEA stock →Nuveen AMT-Free Quality Municipal Income Fund is a closed-ended fixed income mutual fund launched by Nuveen Investments Inc. The fund is co-managed by Nuveen Asset Management, LLC and Nuveen Fund Advisors LLC.
Finance · Finance/Investors Services
MAIN vs NEA FAQ
Which is bigger, Main Street Capital or Nuveen AMT-Free Quality Municipal Income Fund?
Main Street Capital (MAIN) is larger, with a market capitalization of $5.09B compared with $3.02B for Nuveen AMT-Free Quality Municipal Income Fund (NEA).
Which has the lower P/E ratio, MAIN or NEA?
MAIN has the lower trailing P/E at 10.9, versus 13.0 for NEA. A lower P/E is not by itself a sign of a better investment; it can reflect slower expected growth or higher risk.
Which pays a higher dividend, Main Street Capital or Nuveen AMT-Free Quality Municipal Income Fund?
Nuveen AMT-Free Quality Municipal Income Fund has the higher yield at 8.67%, compared with 5.67% for Main Street Capital.
Are Main Street Capital and Nuveen AMT-Free Quality Municipal Income Fund in the same industry?
Yes. Both are classified in the Finance/Investors Services industry within the Finance sector.