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Should You Invest in the First Trust Indxx NextG ETF (NXTG)?

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If you're interested in broad exposure to the Technology - Telecom segment of the equity market, look no further than the First Trust Indxx NextG ETF (NXTG - Free Report) , a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 02/17/2011.

Passively managed ETFs are becoming increasingly popular with institutional as well as retail investors due to their low cost, transparency, flexibility and tax efficiency. They are excellent vehicles for long term investors.

Additionally, sector ETFs offer convenient ways to gain low risk and diversified exposure to a broad group of companies in particular sectors. Technology - Telecom is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 8, placing it in top 50%.

Index Details

The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $403.90 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Technology - Telecom segment of the equity market. NXTG seeks to match the performance of the INDXX 5G & NEXTG THEMATIC INDEX before fees and expenses.

The Indxx 5G & NextG Thematic Index tracks the performance of companies engaged in the smartphone segment of the telecom and technology sectors.

Costs

When considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts in the long term if all other factors remain equal.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.70%, making it one of the more expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.61%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure which minimizes single stock risk, it is still important to look into a fund's holdings before investing. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

Looking at individual holdings, Zte Corporation (class H) (763.HK) accounts for about 1.57% of total assets, followed by Lenovo Group Limited (992.HK) and Renesas Electronics Corporation (6723.JP).

The top 10 holdings account for about 13.95% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

So far this year, NXTG return is roughly 17.02%, and is up about 14.32% in the last one year (as of 09/04/2023). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $54.30 and $73.47.

The ETF has a beta of 0.88 and standard deviation of 18.15% for the trailing three-year period. With about 102 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

First Trust Indxx NextG ETF carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Thus, NXTG is a good option for those seeking exposure to the Technology ETFs area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.


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