We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
You are being directed to ZacksTrade, a division of LBMZ Securities and licensed broker-dealer. ZacksTrade and Zacks.com are separate companies. The web link between the two companies is not a solicitation or offer to invest in a particular security or type of security. ZacksTrade does not endorse or adopt any particular investment strategy, any analyst opinion/rating/report or any approach to evaluating individual securities.
If you wish to go to ZacksTrade, click OK. If you do not, click Cancel.
Is First Trust Consumer Staples AlphaDEX ETF (FXG) a Strong ETF Right Now?
Read MoreHide Full Article
Launched on 05/08/2007, the First Trust Consumer Staples AlphaDEX ETF (FXG - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the Consumer Staples ETFs category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
The ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on market capitalization weighted indexes that are designed to represent the market or a particular segment of the market.
A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns.
On the other hand, some investors who believe that it is possible to beat the market by superior stock selection opt to invest in another class of funds that track non-cap weighted strategies--popularly known as smart beta.
This kind of index follows this same mindset, as it attempts to pick stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance; non-cap weighted strategies base selection on certain fundamental characteristics, or a mix of such characteristics.
Even though this space provides many choices to investors--think one of the simplest methodologies like equal-weighting and more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting--not all have been able to deliver first-rate results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is managed by First Trust Advisors, and has been able to amass over $649.73 million, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Consumer Staples ETFs. This particular fund seeks to match the performance of the StrataQuant Consumer Staples Index before fees and expenses.
The StrataQuant Consumer Staples Index is a modified equal-dollar weighted index designed by the AMEX to objectively identify and select stocks from the Russell 1000 Index that may generate positive alpha relative to traditional passive style indices through the use of the AlphaDEX screening methodology.
Cost & Other Expenses
Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long-term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins, other things remaining the same.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.63% for FXG, making it on par with most peer products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.84%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
FXG's heaviest allocation is in the Consumer Staples sector, which is about 89.20% of the portfolio. Its Healthcare and Materials round out the top three.
When you look at individual holdings, Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (LW - Free Report) accounts for about 4.51% of the fund's total assets, followed by Darling Ingredients Inc. (DAR - Free Report) and Bunge Limited (BG - Free Report) .
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 40.5% of FXG's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has gained about 3.08% and was up about 0.90% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 08/15/2023), respectively. FXG has traded between $56.87 and $66.13 during this last 52-week period.
FXG has a beta of 0.67 and standard deviation of 14.20% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 41 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.
Alternatives
First Trust Consumer Staples AlphaDEX ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Consumer Staples ETFs segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC - Free Report) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Consumer Staples 25/50 Index and the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP - Free Report) tracks Consumer Staples Select Sector Index. Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF has $7.15 billion in assets, Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF has $18.17 billion. VDC has an expense ratio of 0.10% and XLP charges 0.10%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Consumer Staples ETFs.
Bottom Line
To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.
See More Zacks Research for These Tickers
Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:
Image: Bigstock
Is First Trust Consumer Staples AlphaDEX ETF (FXG) a Strong ETF Right Now?
Launched on 05/08/2007, the First Trust Consumer Staples AlphaDEX ETF (FXG - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the Consumer Staples ETFs category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
The ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on market capitalization weighted indexes that are designed to represent the market or a particular segment of the market.
A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns.
On the other hand, some investors who believe that it is possible to beat the market by superior stock selection opt to invest in another class of funds that track non-cap weighted strategies--popularly known as smart beta.
This kind of index follows this same mindset, as it attempts to pick stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance; non-cap weighted strategies base selection on certain fundamental characteristics, or a mix of such characteristics.
Even though this space provides many choices to investors--think one of the simplest methodologies like equal-weighting and more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting--not all have been able to deliver first-rate results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is managed by First Trust Advisors, and has been able to amass over $649.73 million, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Consumer Staples ETFs. This particular fund seeks to match the performance of the StrataQuant Consumer Staples Index before fees and expenses.
The StrataQuant Consumer Staples Index is a modified equal-dollar weighted index designed by the AMEX to objectively identify and select stocks from the Russell 1000 Index that may generate positive alpha relative to traditional passive style indices through the use of the AlphaDEX screening methodology.
Cost & Other Expenses
Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long-term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins, other things remaining the same.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.63% for FXG, making it on par with most peer products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.84%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
FXG's heaviest allocation is in the Consumer Staples sector, which is about 89.20% of the portfolio. Its Healthcare and Materials round out the top three.
When you look at individual holdings, Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (LW - Free Report) accounts for about 4.51% of the fund's total assets, followed by Darling Ingredients Inc. (DAR - Free Report) and Bunge Limited (BG - Free Report) .
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 40.5% of FXG's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has gained about 3.08% and was up about 0.90% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 08/15/2023), respectively. FXG has traded between $56.87 and $66.13 during this last 52-week period.
FXG has a beta of 0.67 and standard deviation of 14.20% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 41 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.
Alternatives
First Trust Consumer Staples AlphaDEX ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Consumer Staples ETFs segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC - Free Report) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Consumer Staples 25/50 Index and the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP - Free Report) tracks Consumer Staples Select Sector Index. Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF has $7.15 billion in assets, Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF has $18.17 billion. VDC has an expense ratio of 0.10% and XLP charges 0.10%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Consumer Staples ETFs.
Bottom Line
To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.