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.
Should You Invest in the First Trust Consumer Staples AlphaDEX ETF (FXG)?
Read MoreHide Full Article
Launched on 05/08/2007, the First Trust Consumer Staples AlphaDEX ETF (FXG - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Consumer Staples - Broad segment of the equity market.
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.
Investor-friendly, sector ETFs provide many options to gain low risk and diversified exposure to a broad group of companies in particular sectors. Consumer Staples - Broad is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 7, placing it in top 44%.
Index Details
The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $677.99 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Consumer Staples - Broad segment of the equity market. FXG 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.
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 0.63%, making it on par with most peer products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.87%.
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.
This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Consumer Staples sector--about 87.50% of the portfolio. Healthcare and Materials round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Post Holdings, Inc. (POST - Free Report) accounts for about 4.27% of total assets, followed by Performance Food Group Company (PFGC - Free Report) and Amerisourcebergen Corporation .
The top 10 holdings account for about 40.14% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has lost about -2.39% so far this year and is down about -4.05% in the last one year (as of 06/01/2023). In that past 52-week period, it has traded between $56.87 and $66.13.
The ETF has a beta of 0.66 and standard deviation of 14.81% for the trailing three-year period, making it 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 carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Thus, FXG is a good option for those seeking exposure to the Consumer Staples ETFs area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.
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 $6.67 billion in assets, Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF has $17.81 billion. VDC has an expense ratio of 0.10% and XLP charges 0.10%.
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
Should You Invest in the First Trust Consumer Staples AlphaDEX ETF (FXG)?
Launched on 05/08/2007, the First Trust Consumer Staples AlphaDEX ETF (FXG - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Consumer Staples - Broad segment of the equity market.
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.
Investor-friendly, sector ETFs provide many options to gain low risk and diversified exposure to a broad group of companies in particular sectors. Consumer Staples - Broad is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 7, placing it in top 44%.
Index Details
The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $677.99 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Consumer Staples - Broad segment of the equity market. FXG 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.
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 0.63%, making it on par with most peer products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.87%.
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.
This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Consumer Staples sector--about 87.50% of the portfolio. Healthcare and Materials round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Post Holdings, Inc. (POST - Free Report) accounts for about 4.27% of total assets, followed by Performance Food Group Company (PFGC - Free Report) and Amerisourcebergen Corporation .
The top 10 holdings account for about 40.14% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has lost about -2.39% so far this year and is down about -4.05% in the last one year (as of 06/01/2023). In that past 52-week period, it has traded between $56.87 and $66.13.
The ETF has a beta of 0.66 and standard deviation of 14.81% for the trailing three-year period, making it 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 carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Thus, FXG is a good option for those seeking exposure to the Consumer Staples ETFs area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.
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 $6.67 billion in assets, Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF has $17.81 billion. VDC has an expense ratio of 0.10% and XLP charges 0.10%.
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.