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Is First Trust Large Cap Core AlphaDEX ETF (FEX) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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Launched on 05/08/2007, the First Trust Large Cap Core AlphaDEX ETF (FEX - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
The ETF industry has long been dominated by products based on market cap weighted indexes, a strategy created to reflect the market or a particular market segment.
Because market cap weighted indexes provide a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, they work well for investors who believe in market efficiency.
If you're the kind of investor who would rather try and beat the market through good stock selection, then smart beta funds are your best choice; this fund class is known for tracking non-cap weighted strategies.
This kind of index follows this same mindset, as it attempts to pick stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance; non-cap weighted strategies base selection on certain fundamental characteristics, or a mix of such characteristics.
Even though this space provides many choices to investors--think one of the simplest methodologies like equal-weighting and more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting--not all have been able to deliver first-rate results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $1.36 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Blend. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the Nasdaq AlphaDEX Large Cap Core Index.
The NASDAQ AlphaDEX Large Cap Core Index is an enhanced index which employs the AlphaDEX stock selection methodology to select stocks from the NASDAQ US 500 Large Cap Index.
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 0.58%.
It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 1.16%.
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.
Representing 22.4% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector; Information Technology and Industrials round out the top three.
When you look at individual holdings, Robinhood Markets, Inc. (class A) (HOOD) accounts for about 0.92% of the fund's total assets, followed by Carvana Co. (class A) (CVNA) and Western Digital Corporation (WDC).
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 6.34% of FEX's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has gained about 10.91% and is up roughly 15.94% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 08/25/2025), respectively. FEX has traded between $90.17 and $115.10 during this last 52-week period.
The fund has a beta of 0.98 and standard deviation of 16.45% for the trailing three-year period, which makes FEX a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 377 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
First Trust Large Cap Core AlphaDEX ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Blend segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.
iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) tracks S&P 500 Index and the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) tracks S&P 500 Index. iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $660.8 billion in assets, Vanguard S&P 500 ETF has $725.36 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and VOO changes 0.03%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Style Box - Large Cap Blend
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 Large Cap Core AlphaDEX ETF (FEX) a Strong ETF Right Now?
Launched on 05/08/2007, the First Trust Large Cap Core AlphaDEX ETF (FEX - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
The ETF industry has long been dominated by products based on market cap weighted indexes, a strategy created to reflect the market or a particular market segment.
Because market cap weighted indexes provide a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, they work well for investors who believe in market efficiency.
If you're the kind of investor who would rather try and beat the market through good stock selection, then smart beta funds are your best choice; this fund class is known for tracking non-cap weighted strategies.
This kind of index follows this same mindset, as it attempts to pick stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance; non-cap weighted strategies base selection on certain fundamental characteristics, or a mix of such characteristics.
Even though this space provides many choices to investors--think one of the simplest methodologies like equal-weighting and more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting--not all have been able to deliver first-rate results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $1.36 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Blend. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the Nasdaq AlphaDEX Large Cap Core Index.
The NASDAQ AlphaDEX Large Cap Core Index is an enhanced index which employs the AlphaDEX stock selection methodology to select stocks from the NASDAQ US 500 Large Cap Index.
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 0.58%.
It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 1.16%.
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.
Representing 22.4% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector; Information Technology and Industrials round out the top three.
When you look at individual holdings, Robinhood Markets, Inc. (class A) (HOOD) accounts for about 0.92% of the fund's total assets, followed by Carvana Co. (class A) (CVNA) and Western Digital Corporation (WDC).
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 6.34% of FEX's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has gained about 10.91% and is up roughly 15.94% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 08/25/2025), respectively. FEX has traded between $90.17 and $115.10 during this last 52-week period.
The fund has a beta of 0.98 and standard deviation of 16.45% for the trailing three-year period, which makes FEX a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 377 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
First Trust Large Cap Core AlphaDEX ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Blend segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.
iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) tracks S&P 500 Index and the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) tracks S&P 500 Index. iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $660.8 billion in assets, Vanguard S&P 500 ETF has $725.36 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and VOO changes 0.03%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Style Box - Large Cap Blend
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.