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Is First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX ETF (FXU) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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The First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX ETF (FXU - Free Report) made its debut on 05/08/2007, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Utilities/Infrastructure 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.
Market cap weighted indexes work great for investors who believe in market efficiency. They provide 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.
Based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such, these indexes attempt to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance.
Methodologies like equal-weighting, one of the simplest options out there, fundamental weighting, and volatility/momentum based weighting are all choices offered to investors in this space, but not all of them can deliver superior returns.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is managed by First Trust Advisors, and has been able to amass over $351.15 million, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Utilities/Infrastructure ETFs. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the StrataQuant Utilities Index.
The StrataQuant Utilities 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.
Cost & Other Expenses
Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long-term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins, other things remaining the same.
With one of the most expensive products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.64%.
It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 2.32%.
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.
For FXU, it has heaviest allocation in the Utilities sector --about 96.80% of the portfolio.
Taking into account individual holdings, Vistra Corp. (VST - Free Report) accounts for about 4.30% of the fund's total assets, followed by Avangrid, Inc. and Constellation Energy Corporation (CEG - Free Report) .
FXU's top 10 holdings account for about 40.36% of its total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF return is roughly 24.99% and it's up approximately 29.14% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 12/11/2024), respectively. FXU has traded between $29.58 and $41.12 during this last 52-week period.
FXU has a beta of 0.69 and standard deviation of 17.52% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 41 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.
Alternatives
First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX ETF is not a suitable option for investors seeking to outperform the Utilities/Infrastructure ETFs segment of the market. Instead, there are other ETFs in the space which investors should consider.
Vanguard Utilities ETF (VPU - Free Report) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Utilities 25/50 Index and the Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU - Free Report) tracks Utilities Select Sector Index. Vanguard Utilities ETF has $6.58 billion in assets, Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF has $17.26 billion. VPU has an expense ratio of 0.10% and XLU charges 0.09%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Utilities/Infrastructure 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 Utilities AlphaDEX ETF (FXU) a Strong ETF Right Now?
The First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX ETF (FXU - Free Report) made its debut on 05/08/2007, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Utilities/Infrastructure 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.
Market cap weighted indexes work great for investors who believe in market efficiency. They provide 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.
Based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such, these indexes attempt to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance.
Methodologies like equal-weighting, one of the simplest options out there, fundamental weighting, and volatility/momentum based weighting are all choices offered to investors in this space, but not all of them can deliver superior returns.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is managed by First Trust Advisors, and has been able to amass over $351.15 million, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Utilities/Infrastructure ETFs. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the StrataQuant Utilities Index.
The StrataQuant Utilities 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.
Cost & Other Expenses
Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long-term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins, other things remaining the same.
With one of the most expensive products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.64%.
It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 2.32%.
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.
For FXU, it has heaviest allocation in the Utilities sector --about 96.80% of the portfolio.
Taking into account individual holdings, Vistra Corp. (VST - Free Report) accounts for about 4.30% of the fund's total assets, followed by Avangrid, Inc. and Constellation Energy Corporation (CEG - Free Report) .
FXU's top 10 holdings account for about 40.36% of its total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF return is roughly 24.99% and it's up approximately 29.14% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 12/11/2024), respectively. FXU has traded between $29.58 and $41.12 during this last 52-week period.
FXU has a beta of 0.69 and standard deviation of 17.52% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 41 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.
Alternatives
First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX ETF is not a suitable option for investors seeking to outperform the Utilities/Infrastructure ETFs segment of the market. Instead, there are other ETFs in the space which investors should consider.
Vanguard Utilities ETF (VPU - Free Report) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Utilities 25/50 Index and the Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU - Free Report) tracks Utilities Select Sector Index. Vanguard Utilities ETF has $6.58 billion in assets, Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF has $17.26 billion. VPU has an expense ratio of 0.10% and XLU charges 0.09%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Utilities/Infrastructure 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.