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Is First Trust NYSE Arca Biotechnology ETF (FBT) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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A smart beta exchange traded fund, the First Trust NYSE Arca Biotechnology ETF (FBT - Free Report) debuted on 06/19/2006, and offers broad exposure to the Health Care ETFs category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
Market cap weighted indexes were created to reflect the market, or a specific segment of the market, and the ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on this strategy.
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.
By attempting to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, non-cap weighted indexes are based on certain fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such.
While this space offers a number of choices to investors, including simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies, not all these strategies have been able to deliver superior results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $1.48 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs in the Health Care ETFs. FBT, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the NYSE Arca Biotechnology Index.
The NYSE Arca Biotechnology Index is an equal dollar weighted index designed to measure the performance of a cross section of companies in the biotechnology industry that are primarily involved in the use of biological processes to develop products or provide services.
Cost & Other Expenses
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.
With on par with most peer products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.55%.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.52%.
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.
FBT's heaviest allocation is in the Healthcare sector, which is about 100% of the portfolio.
Looking at individual holdings, Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ACAD - Free Report) accounts for about 3.97% of total assets, followed by Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. (SRPT - Free Report) and Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. (NBIX - Free Report) .
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 36.91% of FBT's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has lost about -10.95% and is down about -8.86% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 03/04/2022), respectively. FBT has traded between $140.40 and $176.20 during this last 52-week period.
The fund has a beta of 0.90 and standard deviation of 25.20% for the trailing three-year period, which makes FBT a high risk choice in this particular space. With about 31 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.
Alternatives
First Trust NYSE Arca Biotechnology ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Health Care ETFs segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (XBI - Free Report) tracks S&P Biotechnology Select Industry Index and the iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB - Free Report) tracks Nasdaq Biotechnology Index. SPDR S&P Biotech ETF has $6.61 billion in assets, iShares Biotechnology ETF has $7.97 billion. XBI has an expense ratio of 0.35% and IBB charges 0.45%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Health Care 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.
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Is First Trust NYSE Arca Biotechnology ETF (FBT) a Strong ETF Right Now?
A smart beta exchange traded fund, the First Trust NYSE Arca Biotechnology ETF (FBT - Free Report) debuted on 06/19/2006, and offers broad exposure to the Health Care ETFs category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
Market cap weighted indexes were created to reflect the market, or a specific segment of the market, and the ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on this strategy.
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.
By attempting to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, non-cap weighted indexes are based on certain fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such.
While this space offers a number of choices to investors, including simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies, not all these strategies have been able to deliver superior results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $1.48 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs in the Health Care ETFs. FBT, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the NYSE Arca Biotechnology Index.
The NYSE Arca Biotechnology Index is an equal dollar weighted index designed to measure the performance of a cross section of companies in the biotechnology industry that are primarily involved in the use of biological processes to develop products or provide services.
Cost & Other Expenses
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.
With on par with most peer products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.55%.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.52%.
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.
FBT's heaviest allocation is in the Healthcare sector, which is about 100% of the portfolio.
Looking at individual holdings, Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ACAD - Free Report) accounts for about 3.97% of total assets, followed by Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. (SRPT - Free Report) and Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. (NBIX - Free Report) .
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 36.91% of FBT's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has lost about -10.95% and is down about -8.86% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 03/04/2022), respectively. FBT has traded between $140.40 and $176.20 during this last 52-week period.
The fund has a beta of 0.90 and standard deviation of 25.20% for the trailing three-year period, which makes FBT a high risk choice in this particular space. With about 31 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.
Alternatives
First Trust NYSE Arca Biotechnology ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Health Care ETFs segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (XBI - Free Report) tracks S&P Biotechnology Select Industry Index and the iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB - Free Report) tracks Nasdaq Biotechnology Index. SPDR S&P Biotech ETF has $6.61 billion in assets, iShares Biotechnology ETF has $7.97 billion. XBI has an expense ratio of 0.35% and IBB charges 0.45%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Health Care 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.