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Should First Trust Small Cap Value AlphaDEX ETF (FYT) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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Launched on 04/19/2011, the First Trust Small Cap Value AlphaDEX ETF (FYT - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Small Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $228.32 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Small Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

Why Small Cap Value

There's a lot of potential to investing in small cap companies, but with market capitalization below $2 billion, that high potential comes with even higher risk.

Carrying lower than average price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios, value stocks also have lower than average sales and earnings growth rates. When you look at long-term performance, value stocks have outperformed growth stocks in nearly all markets. But in strong bull markets, growth stocks are more likely to be winners.

Costs

Since cheaper funds tend to produce better results than more expensive funds, assuming all other factors remain equal, it is important for investors to pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.71%, making it one of the most expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.01%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector--about 29.60% of the portfolio. Industrials and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Encore Wire Corporation (WIRE - Free Report) accounts for about 0.73% of total assets, followed by Genworth Financial, Inc. (GNW - Free Report) and Tri Pointe Homes, Inc. (TPH - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 6.98% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

FYT seeks to match the performance of the Nasdaq AlphaDEX Small Cap Value Index before fees and expenses. The NASDAQ AlphaDEX Small Cap Value Index is an enhanced index which employs the AlphaDEX stock selection methodology to select stocks from the NASDAQ US 700 Small Cap Value Index.

The ETF has gained about 27.57% so far this year and is up about 25.21% in the last one year (as of 12/16/2021). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $40.60 and $54.19.

The ETF has a beta of 1.49 and standard deviation of 35.41% for the trailing three-year period, making it a high risk choice in the space. With about 263 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

First Trust Small Cap Value 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, FYT is a reasonable option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Small Cap Value area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

The iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF (IWN - Free Report) and the Vanguard SmallCap Value ETF (VBR - Free Report) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF has $15.48 billion in assets, Vanguard SmallCap Value ETF has $25.66 billion. IWN has an expense ratio of 0.24% and VBR charges 0.07%.

Bottom-Line

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.

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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