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Should You Invest in the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX ETF (FXZ)?
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Designed to provide broad exposure to the Materials - Broad segment of the equity market, the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX ETF (FXZ - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 05/08/2007.
Retail and institutional investors increasingly turn to passively managed ETFs because they offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; these kind of funds are also excellent vehicles for long term investors.
Sector ETFs are also funds of convenience, offering many ways to gain low risk and diversified exposure to a broad group of companies in particular sectors. Materials - Broad is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 2, placing it in top 13%.
Index Details
The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $308.88 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Materials - Broad segment of the equity market. FXZ seeks to match the performance of the StrataQuant Materials Index before fees and expenses.
The StrataQuant Materials 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.
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 0.67%, making it one of the more expensive products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.26%.
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.
This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Materials sector--about 85% of the portfolio, followed by Industrials.
Looking at individual holdings, Steel Dynamics, Inc. (STLD - Free Report) accounts for about 5.06% of total assets, followed by Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. (RS - Free Report) and The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (SMG - Free Report) .
The top 10 holdings account for about 44.77% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX ETF has gained about 18.27% so far, and is up roughly 105.96% over the last 12 months (as of 04/07/2021). FXZ has traded between $28.26 and $56.28 in this past 52-week period.
The ETF has a beta of 1.30 and standard deviation of 30.54% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 38 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.
Alternatives
First Trust Materials AlphaDEX 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, FXZ is a sufficient option for those seeking exposure to the Materials ETFs area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.
FlexShares Morningstar Global Upstream Natural Resources ETF (GUNR - Free Report) tracks Morningstar Global Upstream Natural Resources Index and the Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLB - Free Report) tracks Materials Select Sector Index. FlexShares Morningstar Global Upstream Natural Resources ETF has $4.82 billion in assets, Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF has $7.08 billion. GUNR has an expense ratio of 0.46% and XLB charges 0.12%.
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.
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Should You Invest in the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX ETF (FXZ)?
Designed to provide broad exposure to the Materials - Broad segment of the equity market, the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX ETF (FXZ - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 05/08/2007.
Retail and institutional investors increasingly turn to passively managed ETFs because they offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; these kind of funds are also excellent vehicles for long term investors.
Sector ETFs are also funds of convenience, offering many ways to gain low risk and diversified exposure to a broad group of companies in particular sectors. Materials - Broad is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 2, placing it in top 13%.
Index Details
The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $308.88 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Materials - Broad segment of the equity market. FXZ seeks to match the performance of the StrataQuant Materials Index before fees and expenses.
The StrataQuant Materials 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.
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 0.67%, making it one of the more expensive products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.26%.
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.
This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Materials sector--about 85% of the portfolio, followed by Industrials.
Looking at individual holdings, Steel Dynamics, Inc. (STLD - Free Report) accounts for about 5.06% of total assets, followed by Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. (RS - Free Report) and The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (SMG - Free Report) .
The top 10 holdings account for about 44.77% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX ETF has gained about 18.27% so far, and is up roughly 105.96% over the last 12 months (as of 04/07/2021). FXZ has traded between $28.26 and $56.28 in this past 52-week period.
The ETF has a beta of 1.30 and standard deviation of 30.54% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 38 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.
Alternatives
First Trust Materials AlphaDEX 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, FXZ is a sufficient option for those seeking exposure to the Materials ETFs area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.
FlexShares Morningstar Global Upstream Natural Resources ETF (GUNR - Free Report) tracks Morningstar Global Upstream Natural Resources Index and the Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLB - Free Report) tracks Materials Select Sector Index. FlexShares Morningstar Global Upstream Natural Resources ETF has $4.82 billion in assets, Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF has $7.08 billion. GUNR has an expense ratio of 0.46% and XLB charges 0.12%.
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.