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Should You Invest in the First Trust Energy AlphaDEX ETF (FXN)?
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Designed to provide broad exposure to the Energy - Broad segment of the equity market, the First Trust Energy AlphaDEX ETF (FXN - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 05/08/2007.
Passively managed ETFs are becoming increasingly popular with institutional as well as retail investors due to their low cost, transparency, flexibility and tax efficiency. They are excellent vehicles for long term investors.
Sector ETFs also provide investors access to a broad group of companies in particular sectors that offer low risk and diversified exposure. Energy - Broad is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 15, placing it in bottom 6%.
Index Details
The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $287.92 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Energy - Broad segment of the equity market. FXN seeks to match the performance of the StrataQuant Energy Index before fees and expenses.
The StrataQuant Energy 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
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 0.61%, making it on par with most peer products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.82%.
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 in the Energy sector--about 93.20% of the portfolio.
Looking at individual holdings, First Solar, Inc. (FSLR - Free Report) accounts for about 5.80% of total assets, followed by Permian Resources Corp. (PR - Free Report) and Matador Resources Company (MTDR - Free Report) .
The top 10 holdings account for about 41.17% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the First Trust Energy AlphaDEX ETF has lost about -0.52% so far, and is down about -7.65% over the last 12 months (as of 07/09/2025). FXN has traded between $12.88 and $18.61 in this past 52-week period.
The ETF has a beta of 0.90 and standard deviation of 28.31% for the trailing three-year period, making it a high risk choice in the space. With about 41 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.
Alternatives
First Trust Energy AlphaDEX ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, FXN is an excellent option for investors seeking exposure to the Energy ETFs segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.
Vanguard Energy ETF (VDE - Free Report) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Energy 25/50 Index and the Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE - Free Report) tracks Energy Select Sector Index. Vanguard Energy ETF has $7.28 billion in assets, Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF has $27.90 billion. VDE has an expense ratio of 0.09% and XLE charges 0.08%.
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 Energy AlphaDEX ETF (FXN)?
Designed to provide broad exposure to the Energy - Broad segment of the equity market, the First Trust Energy AlphaDEX ETF (FXN - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 05/08/2007.
Passively managed ETFs are becoming increasingly popular with institutional as well as retail investors due to their low cost, transparency, flexibility and tax efficiency. They are excellent vehicles for long term investors.
Sector ETFs also provide investors access to a broad group of companies in particular sectors that offer low risk and diversified exposure. Energy - Broad is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 15, placing it in bottom 6%.
Index Details
The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $287.92 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Energy - Broad segment of the equity market. FXN seeks to match the performance of the StrataQuant Energy Index before fees and expenses.
The StrataQuant Energy 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
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 0.61%, making it on par with most peer products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.82%.
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 in the Energy sector--about 93.20% of the portfolio.
Looking at individual holdings, First Solar, Inc. (FSLR - Free Report) accounts for about 5.80% of total assets, followed by Permian Resources Corp. (PR - Free Report) and Matador Resources Company (MTDR - Free Report) .
The top 10 holdings account for about 41.17% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the First Trust Energy AlphaDEX ETF has lost about -0.52% so far, and is down about -7.65% over the last 12 months (as of 07/09/2025). FXN has traded between $12.88 and $18.61 in this past 52-week period.
The ETF has a beta of 0.90 and standard deviation of 28.31% for the trailing three-year period, making it a high risk choice in the space. With about 41 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.
Alternatives
First Trust Energy AlphaDEX ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, FXN is an excellent option for investors seeking exposure to the Energy ETFs segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.
Vanguard Energy ETF (VDE - Free Report) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Energy 25/50 Index and the Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE - Free Report) tracks Energy Select Sector Index. Vanguard Energy ETF has $7.28 billion in assets, Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF has $27.90 billion. VDE has an expense ratio of 0.09% and XLE charges 0.08%.
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.